Abstract
In response to increasingly severe energy crises and environmental pollution, converting plant/seed shell waste into high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials has become a crucial pathway for achieving high-value utilization of agricultural residues. This paper systematically reviews research progress on plant/seed shell-derived porous carbon materials, focusing on raw material characteristics, preparation processes, and performance optimization. Distinct from existing reviews, this paper categorizes plant/seed shells into three major groups based on their elemental composition and chemical differences: typical lignocellulose, high-ash, and heteroatom-containing shells. It also highlights regionally representative biomass resources such as Central Asian apricot shells. Building on this classification, the paper reveals how material properties decisively influence the development of active carbon pores and surface chemistry. The paper emphasizes comparing the mechanism differences among various shells under identical modification strategies, identifying optimal modification pathways tailored to each shell type. Examples include the self-templating effect of high-ash materials and the self-doping advantage of heteroatom-containing materials. This review demonstrates that elucidating the relationship between “shell type–structural evolution–modification mechanism–electrochemical performance” enables precise control over biomass-derived porous carbon. This not only provides a theoretical basis for developing low-cost, high-performance biomass-based supercapacitors but also promotes regional circular economic development, contributing to carbon neutrality goals.