Worldwide peanut production results in more than 10 million tons of waste piling up each year in the form of discarded shells – but now scientists have discovered a method of turning this biomass into graphene-like carbon materials.
Graphene is based on carbon and is often described as a ‘wonder’ material: it’s super strong, super light, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It’s already widely used and promises to significantly improve consumer electronics in the future.
However, it’s also difficult to produce at scale and expensive to make, so alternative methods for manufacturing graphene could deliver significant boosts to energy systems, data storage, and other modern technologies.
Led by a team from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, the new research shows that the humble peanut shell has the potential to boost graphene production, and in a way that’s cheaper and more eco-friendly than some conventional graphene synthesis approaches.
“Most of the waste from the shell is either discarded or recycled into low-value applications that don’t maximize their full potential,” says UNSW mechanical engineer Guan Yeoh. (Science alert)
Monday, April 20, 2026