Innovative Utilization of Wet Blue Leather Waste to Nitrogen-doped Activated Carbon for High-performance Supercapacitors

With the growing need for sustainable energy storage solutions, this study explores a new way to create eco-friendly, cost-effective materials for supercapacitors. We focused on wet blue leather, a by-product of the leather tanning industry, and turned it into nitrogen-doped activated carbon for use in supercapacitors. The process involved first carbonizing the leather scraps at 800 degrees C, then activating the carbon with sulfuric acid and doping it with nitrogen using ammonia from urea. To evaluate the performance of the material, we used several characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and various electrochemical tests. The results showed that the activated carbon, particularly the nitrogen-doped sample, had a highly porous structure, which is key for good supercapacitor performance. Nitrogen doping enhanced its capacitance and energy storage capacity. Electrochemical tests indicated that the material performed well at low frequencies. Galvanostatic charge-discharge tests revealed a balance between energy and power density, with the nitrogen-doped carbon excelling at lower current densities, making it ideal for applications that require high energy storage and long-term stability. Overall, this study demonstrates that nitrogen-doped activated carbon from leather waste is a promising, sustainable alternative for high-performance supercapacitors, offering both environmental and economic benefits.