Upcycling Waste Cotton Cloth into a Carbon Textile: A Durable and Scalable Layer for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Applications

Mohamed Adel Allam, Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem, Hussain Alawadhi, Abdul Ghani Olabi and Abdulmonem Fetyan ()
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Mohamed Adel Allam: Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Mohammad Ali Abdelkareem: Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Hussain Alawadhi: Center for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Abdul Ghani Olabi: Sustainable Energy & Power Systems Research Centre, RISE, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates
Abdulmonem Fetyan: College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zayed University, Academic City, Dubai P.O. Box 19282, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: In our investigation, we unveil a novel, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method for crafting a bio-derived electrode using discarded cotton fabric via a carbonization procedure, marking its inaugural application in a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Our findings showcase the superior reaction surface area, heightened carbon content, and enhanced catalytic prowess for vanadium reactions exhibited by this carbonized waste cloth (CWC) electrode compared to commercially treated graphite felt (TT-GF). Therefore, the VRFB system equipped with these custom electrodes surpasses its treated graphite felt counterpart (61% at an equivalent current) and achieves an impressive voltage efficiency of 70% at a current density of 100 mA cm −2 . Notably, energy efficiency sees a notable uptick from 58% to 67% under the same current density conditions. These compelling outcomes underscore the immense potential of the carbonized waste cotton cloth electrode for widespread integration in VRFB installations at scale.

Keywords: vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB); carbonized waste cloth; bio-based electrode; graphite felt; sustainable energy storage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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