Rice husk vs. date waste: A better solution for supercapacitor
Usman Ahmed, Farhana Syakirah Ismail, Adnan Younis, Arshid Numan, Fathalla Hamed
Abstract. Sustainable energy storage solutions are critical for addressing the growing global demand for cleaner technologies. Biomass-derived Activated Carbon (AC) has emerged as a promising electrode material for electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) due to its low cost, environmental friendliness, and tuneable properties. In this study, we present a comparative investigation of AC synthesized from two agro-waste sources: Rice Husk (RH) and Date waste (DW). Both precursors were activated using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and subjected to identical thermal treatment conditions to ensure consistency. Structural and morphological analyses (SEM, XRD, and Raman) revealed notable differences in surface area, pore structure, and degree of carbon ordering. The DW based AC exhibited a more developed micro–mesoporous network and higher surface area, contributing to improved electrochemical performance. In a three-electrode cell system using 1 M KOH as the electrolyte, the date-derived AC achieved a specific capacitance of 210 F/g at 1 A/g, outperforming the rice husk–derived AC, which delivered 151 F/g under the same conditions. These results demonstrate that the choice of biomass precursor plays a vital role in determining the structural and capacitive properties of AC. This work offers valuable insights into the development of high-performance, sustainable EDLC electrodes from renewable agro-waste resources
Keywords
Biomass Carbon, RH Waste, Date Waste, KOH Activation, EDLC, Supercapacitor
Published online 6/20/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Usman Ahmed, Farhana Syakirah Ismail, Adnan Younis, Arshid Numan, Fathalla Hamed, Rice husk vs. date waste: A better solution for supercapacitor, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 110-117, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-16
The article was published as article 16 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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