Researchers at Qena University and Sohag University in Egypt studied household date-seed waste as a feedstock for activated-carbon supercapacitor electrodes. In the peer-reviewed study published October 12 in Scientific Reports, seeds collected in Qena were pre-carbonized and activated with potassium hydroxide, then treated at 950°C under argon flow. The team characterized pore structure and surface chemistry and measured the material’s electrochemical behavior in the laboratory.

The paper reports a specific surface area of 1,374 m²/g and a pore size of 1.14 nm for the resulting carbon. In a three-electrode test, specific capacitance was calculated as 1,800 F/g at a current density of 4 A/g; the authors estimate 450 F/g for a full two-electrode device, an estimate not presented as a measurement from a built device. The electrode retained 83.3% of its initial discharge capacity after 2,000 charge-discharge cycles at 10 A/g. The results show laboratory-scale carbon-electrode preparation from agricultural waste, not commercial production or proven service life. The article lists Qena University and Sohag University in Egypt as author affiliations.