Refillable, Biodegradable, Energy Dense Battery Developed From Sugar

Sugar battery developers Y.H. Percival Zhang (right)and Zhiguang Zhu.
Credit: Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

An environmentally friendly battery that runs on sugar has been developed by a research team at Virginia Tech.

The battery also has a very high energy density compared to previously developed sugar based fuel cells which allows it to run longer before needing to be refueled.

Conventional batteries usually use platinum as a catalyst. Instead, this battery uses sugar and a non-natural synthetic enzymatic pathway to generate electricity. Because of the process, the main byproducts of the sugar battery are electricity and water making this battery environmentally friendly.

It is also easily refilled with sugar extending its usability while also making it low cost, non-toxic, and biodegradable.

The team is confident that this battery will one day be used to power electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets.

Diamond Anvil Produces Hydrogen Overnight

Nature produces hydrogen through "serpentinization." When water meets the ubiquitous mineral olivine under pressure, the rock absorbs mostly oxygen (O) atoms from H2O, transforming olivine into another mineral, serpentine -- characterized by a scaly, green-brown surface appearance like snakeskin. The complex network of fracturing and created by serpentinization also creates habitat for subsurface microbial communities. Image from Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada.
Credit: Matt Schrenk, Michigan State University

Scientists at the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 discovered a way to produce hydrogen up to 50 times faster than nature does. Using a diamond anvil cell (a tiny high pressure cooker) and aluminum oxide (Al₂o₃), water (H₂0), and the mineral, olivine ((Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄), they produced produced hydrogen in a matter of hours instead of weeks.

Essentially, it is water, rock, and aluminum oxide put under extreme pressure (2 kilobars) and heat ( 200 to 300 degrees Celsius) to produce hydrogen.

HYdrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the Universe. Seventy five percent (75%) of the chemical elemental mass of the Universe is hydrogen. This latest discovery is very relevant to the energy industry where hydrogen is one viable energy source.

Using hydrogen as a fuel has many advantages. It is abundant. It is environmentally safe since the byproduct of hydrogen fuel cells is water and water vapor. And the power generated by hydrogen is much greater than that of regular gasoline.

Hydrogen fuel cells do not need combustion to produce energy, which also makes them safe and efficient.

Green Cars: An Infographic On Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

A recent study by MIT reports that despite advances in fuel efficiency technology, it has only produced minor gains in terms of gas mileage. From 1980 to 2006, the average gas mileage of vehicles sold in the United States increased by around 15 percent. A further analysis state that the increase should be at 60%.

With the advent of the lithium-ion battery, electric cars and hybrids, are now becoming a commercial alternative to gas powered vehicles. Smaller and more efficient fuel cells (units of li-ion batteries grouped together), have made these category of vehicles a practical transportation choice.

Coupled with increasing gas prices and environmental concerns, alternative energy vehicles are becoming a viable option. This infographic from Nissan shows how electric and hybrid vehicles can be a viable option for one's private transportation needs. It has details about hybrid and electric car tax credits as well as a general overview on savings from switching to alternative energy from fossil fuels.

From Fuel Cell to Fuel Tank - Studying How To Maximize Efficiency of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel

A hydrogen fuel cell is a device that converts hydrogen into electricity. Aside from energy, the other byproduct is water.

Just like a regular battery cell, a fuel cell consists of an anode, a cathode and electrolyte. Electrons travel from the anode to the cathode generating electricity. For fuel cells, the energy created can be used to power vehicles, motors, and other devices.

Hydrogen fuel cells, at the moment, have components made up of precious metals such as platinum. Because of this, the price of hydrogen fuel cells are at a premium and slightly above the reach of the average consumer. Platinum is used as a catalyst for the chemical reactions that occur within the fuel cell.

There are many benefits on the application of fuel cells particularly hydrogen fuel cells. Because the byproduct of a hydrogen fuel cell is water, it is pollution free and environment friendly. The power generated by hydrogen is much greater than that of regular gasoline. Also, since these cells do not need combustion or any moving parts, the device is close to 100% reliable.

And as stated, even if hydrogen is used as a combustion based fuel, the byproduct generated is not harmful smog, but water vapor.

Three materials could hold the key to future hydrogen cars

New research funded by the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award will look at how to safely and efficiently store hydrogen – one of the key problems preventing hydrogen from being used as an alternative fuel.

Award recipient Timo Thonhauser, of the Wake Forest University physics department, said current storage methods, such as compressing hydrogen into tanks, are unwieldy, making the storage question the big bottleneck in turning hydrogen fuel cars into a reality.