Researchers Create Nanocarbons from Food Waste | AIChE

Researchers Create Nanocarbons from Food Waste

April
2018

New rubber composites can be generated from an unusual source: food waste.

Researchers in France and Brazil have cracked biogas derived from rotting food to create remarkably high-quality graphitic nanocarbons. When incorporated into rubbers, these nanocarbons provide a huge conductivity boost — as high as 7.5 S/m. That number is on par with the highest conductivities reached by using other carbon fillers in rubbers.

The project originated from the problem of how to turn food waste into something useful, says Alain Pénicaud, a senior researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) who specializes in nanocarbons. The production of methane gas from composting food waste is not new, but the team wanted to find out whether methane from compost could produce carbon nanostructures pure enough for sophisticated uses.

The researchers first sourced methane and carbon dioxide from composting food waste. They used microwave plasma processing technology at the company Cambridge Nanosystems to crack...

Would you like to access the complete CEP News Update?

No problem. You just have to complete the following steps.

You have completed 0 of 2 steps.

  1. Log in

    You must be logged in to view this content. Log in now.

  2. AIChE Membership

    You must be an AIChE member to view this article. Join now.

Copyright Permissions 

Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.

Related Topics