DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/ijred.2026.62638
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Electrochemical properties of porous carbon derived from polymer waste

1School of Life Science and Health Engineering, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China

2College of Life Sciences, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471023, China

Received: 17 Apr 2026; Revised: 19 Aug 2026; Accepted: 1 Sep 2026; Available online: 21 Sep 2026; Published: 1 Nov 2026.
Editor(s): H Hadiyanto
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

The exponential accumulation of non-degradable polymer waste poses a severe environmental challenge. In order to achieve high-value recycling and meet the demand for advanced energy storage, this study converts various polymer wastes into high-performance porous carbon (PC) electrode materials for supercapacitors. The waste hollow fiber filter (HFC), polyurethane shoe material (PUC) and PET foam (PFC) were converted into PC with a customized morphological framework through pre carbonization combined with high temperature KOH chemical activation. The results showed that HFC activated with 1:4 KOH and CAR at 750 ℃ achieved 2934 m2·g-1 specific surface area (SSA) and synergistic in situ N/O self-doping. This structural optimization provides an excellent specific capacitance (SC) of 297 F·g-1 at 1A·g-1. Dynamics analysis shows that enriched Faraday redox sites and graded porosity result in an ultra-low charge transfer resistance of 0.22 Ω and a high capacitance control contribution of 84.7% at 20 mV·s-1. In addition, PUC activated at 850 ℃ exhibited a coral like rigid 3D skeleton, producing an SSA of 1467 m2·g-1, a capacity retention rate (CRR) of 85.4% at 10 a·g-1, and an internal resistance as low as 0.97 Ω. PFC (CAR 1:4) activated at 750 ℃ forms a honeycomb structure, providing 2281 m2·g-1 SSA and 296 F·g-1, with excellent electrolyte diffusion kinetics. This work elucidates the relationship between precursor topology and pore evolution, providing a sustainable approach for the next generation of energy storage devices.

Keywords: Polymer waste; Porous carbon; Potassium hydroxide activation; Supercapacitor; Electrochemical performance.

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Section: Original Research Article
Language : EN
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