Synthesis and characterization of nanocarbon from waste batteries via an eco-friendly method

The widespread use of disposable batteries to power common electronic devices is a major source of e-waste. There are growing environmental and health concerns due to the expansion of e-waste around the world. Hence, developing a reliable system for recycling old batteries has reached the top of the recycling priority list. The current study presents a novel approach to synthesis carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from spent batteries via an eco-friendly method that offers economical, environment-friendly, and nontoxic approaches in comparison to conventional chemical methods. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV–VIS absorption analysis (UV), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Atomic force microscope (AFM), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The average diameter of the synthesized particles was 40.16 nm, and the particles tended to be aspherical in shape. EDX analysis also predicted the presence of pure carbon, with some contamination arrived at 15% (in weight). This is a novel study in which nanocarbons were synthesized in a brine (7600×10⁻⁶) from a target (CNPs>75 nm), which paves the way for future use of CNPs derived from spent batteries and helps the environment by decreasing the amount of electronic waste dumped in landfills.

Graphical abstract