A low-cost battery made from zinc and lignin is set to revolutionise the way we use batteries. Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden have developed such a battery that can be used over 8,000 times and is expected to provide cheap and sustainable battery solutions in regions where access to electricity is limited.
The researchers, along with teams from Karlstad University and Chalmers, developed the battery using the two cost-effective and environment-friendly materials. While it is comparable with lead-acid batteries in terms of energy density, the new battery is without lead which is toxic. Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants.
They are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity and do not rot easily. Although the battery can be used for over 8,000 cycles, it has been found to remain stable while maintaining about 80 percent of its performance.
Moreover, the battery retains its charge for approximately a week, which is significantly longer than other similar zinc-based batteries that discharge in just a few hours. Currently, the batteries developed by the Linköping University researchers are small, but they are looking at making them larger to match the size of car batteries, taking advantage of the abundant supply of both zinc and lignin at low costs.
The research team is now looking for a company to mass produce the batteries while attempting to increase their size so that some time in the near future these affordable batteries could power vehicles to make non-fossil fuel vehicle transport a low-cost endeavour. In doing so, popularity of electric vehicles will rise.