•Rotten egg album was used to fabricate nitrogen-doped layered carbon (REAC).•The conductive REAC improves Li+ diffusion coefficient and electronic conductivity.•The LSBs with REAC PP separator exhibit decay rate of 0.055% per cycle in 400 cycles. Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) with high energy density and high specific capacity are considered promising rechargeable energy devices. However, the capacity attenuation caused by “shuttle effect” hinders their practical application. In this work, layered rotten egg albumen carbon (REAC) was fabricated via freezing dry and carbonization methods to enhance capacity retention of LSBs. The LSBs with REAC modified polypropylene (REAC PP) separator exhibit the following superior electronical performances: (1) the conductive REAC improves lithium ion (Li+) coefficient by increasing the electrical conductivity; (2) the nitrogen-doped sites in REAC enhances polysulfide adsorption and increases the electronic conductivity; (3) the compact layered structure inhibits the “shuttle effect” of polysulfides and enhance electrochemical performance. The LSBs with REAC PP separator and 72 wt% sulfur deliver an initial capacity of 1092.8 mA h g−1 at 0.1C. Also, such LSBs exhibit capacity of 633.8 mA h g−1 at 1C with low decay rate of 0.055% per cycle in 400 cycles. Considering the waste recycling, simple synthesis and enhanced electrochemical performance, REAC PP separator is promising for LSBs.