Using pipe covers as a raw material, UPV researchers get rechargeable batteries

A study by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has managed to develop rechargeable batteries using pipe covers as raw materials, demonstrating that biomass can be used as an alternative to commercial batteries and thus make them more sustainable. 

The finding offers more ecological alternatives to traditional batteries that are "more expensive and polluting" .

According to the university, the study found that batteries made from biomass materials not only store enough energy, but also support 1,000 loading and unloading cycles .

Sodium ion batteries are a cheaper alternative than lithium ion batteries and are less dependent on mineral reserves, but have low energy density and insufficient load and discharge cycles.

UPV-EHU's Solid State and Materials Group aims to develop sodium ion batteries using biomass materials.

The batteries have a cathode (positive side) and an anode (negative side), and an electrolyte to move from one charge to another, which serves to generate electric current. The team at the University of the Basque Country is engaged in research to obtain carbon-based anodes from residual biomass, transforming waste into useful materials for these batteries.

In this study, the team has tested different types of biomass , such as coffee remains, plant stems, bushes of invasive species, grape seeds or bark, corn cobs, and even compost from bio-waste.

Of all these, the coal from the pipe crusts has produced the best results. 

"These are rechargeable batteries made from pipe crusts capable of storing the right amount of energy and up to 1,000 load and discharge cycles, choosing in each case the most environmentally friendly cathode chemistry," says Nekane Nieto, a doctor at the UPV Solid State and Materials Group.

These batteries are not yet competitive compared to lithium ion batteries, and while larger batteries are available, they can be used as "auxiliary systems" or in small devices.