Batteries made from seafood waste are as good as lithium
Lithium batteries have always been accused of being too expensive and environmentally dangerous. Seafood Waste based battery is an alternative that scientists are working on.
EVs are still some of the most expensive cars, and that’s mainly due to the batteries’ production cost. EV car makers are still heavily reliant on expensive lithium batteries, so the situation is unlikely to change anytime soon, despite the new American revised tax credit scheme.
As we know in the world of industry, every problem is an ideal opportunity for innovation. Research for an alternative to lithium batteries has been going on for a while now, and recently there seems to be an intersting breakthrough; a paper published by the scientific journal Matter explained a solution that will get rid of all the negative effects of the lithium batteries production process without sacrificing performance. The secret to that was found in crustaceans.
"For example, polypropylene and polycarbonate separators, which are widely used in lithium-ion batteries, take hundreds or thousands of years to degrade and add to environmental burden." Liangbing Hu, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Materials Innovation, is one of the brains behind the new research. He said about the motive behind this research, "Vast quantities of batteries are being produced and consumed, raising the possibility of environmental problems,"
To put you in the picture, maybe we should first explain how a simple battery works. Basically, a simple battery has three parts, the anode, the cathode, and the electrolyte, when the battery is discharging, the charged ions flow from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte. The main issue with this system is the electrolyte; they are always made of non-biodegradable material. But that’s about to change.
The alternative according to the scientists involved in this project is Chitosan, a biological material derived from chitin, which comes primarily from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, like crabs, shrimps, and lobsters. After serving its purpose, the chitosan can be easily broken down by microbes in a relatively short period. The other advantage is that the Chitosan can be combined with zinc instead of lithium or lead, making the battery even more eco-friendly.
Initial experiments have shown that the Chitosan-zinc batteries have an efficiency rating of 99.7% which is identical to that of a lithium battery, and far bigger than that of a typical zinc battery. This kind of battery can have multiple uses; other than electric cars, they can be used to store energy coming from wind or solar generation.
It’s still too early to think about mass production, the technology needs to be perfected first. Still, it’s a huge step on the right path, a creative idea that can change the course of sustainable mobility.
Climate change is a real issue that scientists and car makers are working hand and hand to solve.
But meanwhile, we should protect our cars and take care of them against unpredictable weather conditions.
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