For 1/1000th the price of graphene, a revolutionary new process is being used to produce supercapacitors.
Here is a quote from this revealing article: “We’re making graphene-like materials for a thousandth of the price – and we’re doing it with waste.”
This type of fiber is normally thrown out after hemp is processed into industrial fiber for making clothes, ropes, and other textile products.
This “waste” hemp fiber is cooked down into carbon nanosheets, which is used for this specific purpose as it does not have all of the other benefits normally associated with graphene, but it does allow the production of a carbon-based nano surface material with extremely high surface area. This makes it perfect for making supercapacitors.
Go here for the full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28770876