Environment Friendly Batteries Powered by Algae!

We have dealt with chemical batteries and the challenge they pose to the environment in previous articles. Here’s a story about a new type of energy storage system developed from algae!

Cladophora…

Is a genus of green algae. Unwanted blooms of Cladophora algae throughout the Baltic and in other parts of the world is not a rare site. It now appears that these blooms will have an entirely new role to play in the world of green technology.

Cladophora algae (via: NanoWerk)

A group of researchers…

At Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University, Sweden have discovered that the distinctive cellulose nanostructure of these algae can serve as an effective coating substrate for use in environmentally friendly batteries.

These algae…

Have a special cellulose structure characterized by a very large surface area. By coating this structure with a thin layer of conducting polymer they have produced a battery that weighs almost nothing and has set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-based batteries!

What’s unique about Cladophora?

Is their cellulose nanostructure which functions well as a thickening agent for pharmaceutical preparations and as a binder in foodstuffs. The possibility of energy-storage applications was realized when the large surface area of the cellulose structure was observed.

Therefore…

This new energy-storage system consists of a nanostructure of algal cellulose coated with a 50 nm layer of polypyrrole. Batteries based on this material can store up to 600 mA per cm³, with only 6 per cent loss through 100 charging cycles

This opens up new windows of opportunity for the large-scale production of environmentally friendly, cost-effective, lightweight energy storage systems!