Resource‐ and energy‐efficient biomass exploitation for green graphite production is one of the most effective strategies for satisfying graphite demand while minimizing energy consumption and carbon emissions. This study investigated green graphite production from biomass waste and its applications to establish a green graphite industry. Biomass pyrolysis and catalytic graphitization of biochar were studied first to produce green graphite. The optimized green graphite exhibited a reversible capacity of 264 mA h/g and 97% capacity retention over 100 cycles in a half‐cell. Green graphite electrodes with a resistivity lower than 5 μΩ m were fabricated by using organic fraction bio‐oil as a green binder. Other green graphite applications, including printing, conductive printing, pencils, and refractories, were also achieved. The overall process of graphite anode and electrode synthesis from biomass waste and short‐rotation energy crops was modeled. Approx. 95 kg of battery graphite or 109 kg of metallurgical graphite electrodes can be produced per ton of biomass with low primary energy consumption and carbon footprint. Prominently, the modeling result and life cycle assessment demonstrated that, for the production of battery graphite from biomass waste, net‐negative‐CO₂ emissions (−0.57 kg CO₂‐eq/kg graphite powders) with net‐negative‐primary energy consumption (−28.31 MJ/kg graphite powders) was achieved.

This study introduces a distributed electrified heating approach that is able to innovate chemical engineering involving endothermic reactions. It enables rapid and uniform heating of gaseous reactants, facilitating efficient conversion and high product selectivity at specific equilibrium. Demonstrated in catalyst-free CH₄ pyrolysis, this approach achieves stable production of H₂ (530 g h⁻¹ L _reactor⁻¹) and carbon nanotube/fibers through 100% conversion of high-throughput CH₄ at 1150 °C, surpassing the results obtained from many complex metal catalysts and high-temperature technologies. Additionally, in catalytic CH₄ dry reforming, the distributed electrified heating using metallic monolith with unmodified Ni/MgO catalyst washcoat showcased excellent CH₄ and CO₂ conversion rates, and syngas production capacity. This innovative heating approach eliminates the need for elongated reactor tubes and external furnaces, promising an energy-concentrated and ultra-compact reactor design significantly smaller than traditional industrial systems, marking a significant advance towards more sustainable and efficient chemical engineering society.

Producing sustainable anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through catalytic graphitization of renewable biomass has gained significant attention. However, the technology is in its early stages due to the bio-graphite's comparatively low electrochemical performance in LIBs. This study aims to develop a process for producing LIB anode materials using a hybrid catalyst to enhance battery performance, along with readily available market biochar as the raw material. Results indicate that a trimetallic hybrid catalyst (Ni, Fe, and Mn in a 1:1:1 ratio) is superior to single or bimetallic catalysts in converting biochar to bio-graphite. The bio-graphite produced under this catalyst exhibits an 89.28% degree of graphitization and a 73.95% conversion rate. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) reveals the dissolution–precipitation mechanism involved in catalytic graphitization. Electrochemical performance evaluation showed that the trimetallic hybrid catalyst yielded bio-graphite with better electrochemical performances than those obtained through single or bimetallic hybrid catalysts, including a good reversible capacity of about 293 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 20 mA/g and a stable cycle performance with a capacity retention of over 98% after 100 cycles. This study proves the synergistic efficacy of different metals in catalytic graphitization, impacting both graphite crystalline structure and electrochemical performance.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) serve as the most promising next-generation commercial batteries besides lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Hard carbon (HC) from renewable biomass resources is the most commonly used anode material in SIBs. In this contribution, we present a review of the latest progress in the conversion of waste biomass to HC materials, and highlight their application in SIBs. Specifically, the following topics are discussed in the review: (1) the mechanism of sodium-ion storage in HC, (2) the HC precursor’s sources, (3) the processing methods and conditions of the HCs production, (4) the impact of the biomass types and carbonization temperature on the carbon structure, and (5) the effect of various carbon structures on electrochemical performance. Data from various publications have been analyzed to uncover the relationship between the processing conditions of biomass and the resulting structure of the final HC product, as well as its electrochemical performance. Our results indicate the existence of an ideal temperature range (around 1200 to 1400 °C) that enhances the formation of graphitic domains in the final HC anode and reduces the formation of open pores from the biomass precursor. This results in HC anodes with high storage capacity (>300 mAh/g) and high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) (>80%).