Recycling Antibiotic Bacterial Residues for Application in High-Performance Lithium−Sulfur Batteries

Antibiotic bacterial residue is a type of hazardous waste generated during the extraction of antibiotic. Owing to the large amount, difficult disposal, and negative impacts on the environment and human health of antibiotic bacterial residues, it is of great significance to find an efficient treatment and resource technology. In an effort to recycle antibiotic bacterial residues from “trash to treasure” and to target a high-value application, antibiotic bacterial residues are utilized for the fabrication of nitrogen-doped porous carbon, which are then used to modify a separator in the configuration of lithium–sulfur batteries. Owing to the high level of nitrogen doping, large surface area, and abundant pores, the obtained lithium–sulfur batteries deliver a high initial discharge capacity of 1426 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2 C and a low fading rate of 0.077 % per cycle within 700 cycles at 0.5 C with pure sulfur cathode.