Rice Husk-Derived Activated Carbon as a Potential Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

This work investigates the synthesis and application of activated carbon derived from rice husk (RH) as a sustainable anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The RH precursor underwent a sequence of pretreatment steps including washing, drying, pyrolysis at 500 ℃ in argon atmosphere, chemical activation with KOH at 850 ℃ , and subsequent desilication. The resulting material exhibited a well-developed micro/mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area (>900 m²/g) and structural stability. Morphological analysis confirmed a uniform porous carbon matrix, while XRD revealed the formation of amorphous carbon. Electrochemical performance tests showed that the RH-derived carbon retained a reversible capacity of ~280–300 mAh/g over 50 charge–discharge cycles, indicating excellent cyclic stability and lithium-ion intercalation capability. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic tests demonstrated predominant pseudocapacitive behavior, associated with surface functionalities and structural defects induced by KOH activation. Compared to conventional graphite (372 mAh/g), this bio-derived carbon offers competitive capacity with lower cost and better sustainability. The study highlights the potential of RH-based activated carbon as a scalable and eco-friendly alternative for next-generation energy storage devices, particularly in LIBs and supercapacitors. Future work will focus on optimizing activation parameters and exploring heteroatom doping to further enhance conductivity and rate performance.