Carbon Characteristics from Corn Cobs and Cassava Stems Resulting from Fixed Bed Slow Pyrolysis for Membrane Fuel Cell Catalysts

Abstract:

Energy is a fundamental necessity that underpins numerous aspects of life for Indonesian society and, indeed, worldwide. The global energy crisis underscores the urgency of finding environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative energy sources to replace the reliance on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels account for 80% of global energy needs, yet they pose environmental impacts and are a finite resource. One promising renewable energy source with the potential for development due to its environmental friendliness is the fuel cell. However, a drawback of fuel cells lies in the use of precious metals (platinum) as membranes, which are expensive and have limited availability on Earth. This research aims to determine the characteristics of the best activated carbon derived from the pyrolysis of corn cobs and cassava stems as carbon for membrane fuel cell catalysts. Through physical activation via slow pyrolysis in a fixed bed reactor, the utilisation of this biomass waste is expected to be an innovative solution to reduce the production costs of membrane fuel cells while also promoting the development of more affordable clean energy. This research employs an experimental method by conducting pyrolysis of cassava stem and corn cob biomass with variations in temperature and residence time. The temperature variations for corn cob pyrolysis were 400°C, 450°C, and 500°C, with residence times of 30 minutes and 60 minutes, while for cassava stem pyrolysis, the temperature variations were 300°C, 400°C, and 500°C, with residence times of 15 minutes and 30 minutes. The resulting carbon was then subjected to proximate analysis to determine its fixed carbon content. Based on the proximate analysis results for corn cob waste, the temperature variation of 500°C with a residence time of 60 minutes yielded the highest fixed carbon content at 74.35%, whereas for cassava stems, the best variation was obtained at a temperature of 400°C and a residence time of 30 minutes, producing the highest fixed carbon content 72.94%, thus showing potential as a support material for fuel cell catalysts.

• Periodical: Engineering Headway (Volume 38)
• Pages: 105-113
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-lKsp5B
• Online since: June 2026
• Authors: M. Fendy Kussuma Hadi Sufyan, Raka Mahendra Sulistiyo*, Sutarsis Sutarsis, Lutfi Dwi Hernawan, Danu Prasetyo, Fahrul Ardian Firmanda Kussuma
• Keywords: Carbon Active, Fixed Bed Reactor, Fuel Cell, Proximate, Slow Pyrolysis

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