A Sustainable Carbon Material from Kraft Black Liquor as Nickel-Based Electrocatalyst Support for Ethanol Electro-Oxidation.

The present work deals with a new methodology to produce a sustainable carbon material through a simple synthetic route, and its performance as Ni-based electrocatalyst support. Such porous carbon was easily synthesized from the raw Kraft black liquor, a by-product rich in lignin, by chemical polymerization in alkaline medium with a nickel source and subsequent activation by CO₂. Nickel nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed in the samples, as revealed by STEM images. XPS analyses and BET method indicated the presence of Ni species in the synthesized material and a micro-mesoporous structure, respectively. The electrochemical characterization in NaOH and NaOH+ ethanol solutions showed that the as-prepared material has the relevant potential to be applied as electrocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation Reaction (EOR) in alkaline medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]