Abstract The use of sludge, a side product of wastewater treatment, as a precursor for the synthesis of high-capacitance carbon is environmentally benign; however, the key factors influencing the structure of the carbon, and accordingly, its capacitive performance, remain unknown. We demonstrate that the physicochemical and electrochemical properties are remarkably different among four different sludge-derived carbons: those obtained from municipal wastewater sludge, coking wastewater sludge, phenol-acclimated municipal wastewater sludge, and phenol-acclimated coking wastewater sludge (denoted as MSC, CSC, P-MSC, and P-CSC, respectively). Hierarchical mesoporous graphene-like carbon was obtained from the acclimated sludge (particularly for P-CSC) with a high surface area, sufficient degree of graphitization, good electrical conductivity, and rich N and P doping. Accordingly, the P-CSC electrode delivered a large specific capacitance (416.1 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 ), good rate capability (retention ratio of 80.7% from 1 to 15 A g −1 ), and long-term cycling stability (retention ratio of 96.9% after 10,000 cycles), outperforming the MSC, CSC, and P-MSC electrodes. After conducting a series of control experiments, we determined that the contents of Fe, N, and P in the sludge, and the affinity of the microorganisms and particles/flocs in the sludge are crucial to the final characteristics of the sludge-derived carbon.

中文翻译：

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苯酚降解污泥作为电容性碳材料的前驱体：揭示纳米结构和高电容的关键因素

摘要 利用污泥作为废水处理的副产品，作为合成高容量碳的前体是环境友好的；然而，影响碳结构及其电容性能的关键因素仍然未知。我们证明了四种不同的污泥衍生碳的物理化学和电化学性质显着不同：从市政污水污泥、焦化污水污泥、苯酚驯化的市政污水污泥和苯酚驯化的焦化废水污泥（表示为 MSC、CSC 、P-MSC 和 P-CSC）。从驯化的污泥（特别是 P-CSC）中获得了具有高表面积、足够的石墨化程度、良好的导电性、和丰富的 N 和 P 掺杂。因此，P-CSC 电极提供了大的比电容（416.1 F g -1 在 1 A g -1 ）、良好的倍率性能（从 1 到 15 A g -1 的保留率为 80.7%）和长期循环稳定性（10,000 次循环后保留率为 96.9%），优于 MSC、CSC 和 P-MSC 电极。经过一系列的控制实验，我们确定污泥中Fe、N和P的含量，以及污泥中微生物和颗粒/絮体的亲和力对污泥衍生碳的最终特性至关重要。优于 MSC、CSC 和 P-MSC 电极。经过一系列的控制实验，我们确定污泥中Fe、N和P的含量，以及污泥中微生物和颗粒/絮体的亲和力对污泥衍生碳的最终特性至关重要。优于 MSC、CSC 和 P-MSC 电极。经过一系列的控制实验，我们确定污泥中Fe、N和P的含量，以及污泥中微生物和颗粒/絮体的亲和力对污泥衍生碳的最终特性至关重要。