Characterization and electrochemical analysis of aluminium-citrate ion cell from waste aluminum foils and natural citric acid

Abstract

This study aims to prepare an aluminum-citrate ion cell from waste aluminum foils and citric acid extracted from Dovyalis caffra fruits (Kei apples) and further demonstrate their electrochemical performance at varying impedances, electrode thicknesses and discharge times. Aluminum oxide ions were prepared from discarded aluminum foils, and citric acid were produced by co-precipitating macerated Dovyalis caffra extracts by acid infusion. Aluminum foil wastes were utilized in acid co-digestion to produce aluminum oxide nanoparticles. The prepared aluminum oxide was then characterized for surface morphology, composition and phases present. The prepared particles revealed Al2O3 boehmite moieties and ranged between 66.3 and 106.1 nm in size. The synthesized citric acid depicted desirable morphological and electrolytes traits similar to those of commercial citric acid. The cells open and closed current-voltages were directly proportional to the electrode diameter. While the cells were found to be quite Ohmic in nature with increased impedance with electrode distances, discharge times were also proportional to electrode diameters. The cell's energy balance was 477.6–346.3 J/s, with a density of 47.1–53.7 Wh/kg. The results showed that the cells could successfully produce portable energy storage devices from waste materials.