Tiju Thomas

Heterogeneous carbonaceous resources offer scalable pathways to advanced carbon materials, but their conversion is constrained by variations in composition, mineral matter, structural order, reactivity, and feedstock-preparation burden. Coal-derived graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) provide a representative case where feedstock selection, beneficiation, oxidation chemistry, product validation, and sustainability assessment are often treated as disconnected steps. Here, coal-to-GO/rGO conversion is used to demonstrate a feedstock-conditioned process design framework for sustainable carbon resource valorisation. The proposed seven-layer framework integrates coal-rank routing, ash and mineralogical triggers, composition- and texture-based process selection, rank-specific pretreatment severity windows, GO/rGO pathway selection, closed-loop product validation, and early-stage sustainability screening. A literature-informed sensitivity matrix and heat map identify variables governing material quality, yield, reagent demand, water use, energy intensity, and environmental performance. The framework is demonstrated through a lignite-to-GO case study incorporating mass and energy balances, reagent inventories, and cradle-to-gate sustainability indicators. The process yielded 0.138 kg GO kg-1 raw lignite, with a cumulative energy demand of 15.5 GJ kg-1 GO, a greenhouse-gas footprint of 2.00 × 103 kg CO2-eq kg-1 GO, and a water footprint of 6412 L kg-1 GO. We further introduce the Feedstock Conditioning Penalty (FCP) as the additional material, energy, chemical, and environmental burden required to convert a heterogeneous carbon resource into a synthesis-ready precursor. In the case study, feedstock conditioning contributed approximately 72% of greenhouse-gas emissions and 89% of electricity demand, identifying upstream upgrading as the dominant sustainability hotspot.

Recycled polymers from e-waste are good candidate materials for sensors from the point of view of circularity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

LiMn ₂ O ₄ spinel cathodes, with their low cost, environmental benignity, and promising voltage profile, serve as a cornerstone of next‐generation Li‐ion batteries. Yet, its commercial viability is impeded by structural degradation and surface instabilities that arise during extended cycling. This review infers how intrinsic (thermodynamic, kinetic, electronic, magnetic, and mechanical) properties and extrinsic factors converge to govern the stability of LiMn ₂ O ₄ , providing a unified framework that correlates atomic‐scale processes and electrochemical performance. Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanistic pathways of lithiation/delithiation, where Jahn–Teller distortions, phase transitions, and strain evolution interplay with oxygen release, Mn dissolution, and electrolyte decomposition. By dissecting these coupled processes, this review clarifies how surface instabilities arise and how they propagate across length scales. Doping, coating, and electrolyte additives are critically examined not only as stabilization strategies but also as practical avenues that reveal fundamental degradation drivers. Unlike prior reviews, this work integrates cross‐disciplinary insights spanning thermodynamics to mechanics and methodically correlates them with electrochemical outcomes, presenting a comprehensive and causally connected picture of spinel degradation. The perspectives outlined here highlight design principles and interfacial engineering strategies that can expedite the rational development of durable LiMn ₂ O ₄ cathodes and inform broader efforts toward sustainable, high‐performance rechargeable batteries.