Organic Algae Batteries A Match For Lithium

Posted on 14. Sep, 2009 by Ross in Europe, New Technologies

Thought that algae-based biofuels were all that algae was good for? (As if that wasn’t enough!)

Thought that Bolivia was to become the cleantech equivalent of Saudi Arabia, with their vast lithium reserves?

Well, a team of Swedish researchers at Uppsala University has harnessed a particularly despised species of algae to produce a lightweight organic battery which, when optimised, is expected to perform on an equal footing to top-of-the-range lithium ion batteries, putting non-metallic batteries with simple components firmly onto the sustainable, clean and green battery map.

The key to the discovery is the algae involved. Cladophora, known for producing toxic algal blooms across the world’s oceans, produces a unique cellulose structure with a massive surface area - approximately 80m²/g. The team coated the algal cellulose with a simple, conductive polymer called polypyrrole, and the resulting material set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-based batteries.

Despite a total lack of optimisation, the algae-based battery managed storage capacities of 25Wh/kg, compared to 100-160Wh/kg for lithium ion batteries. After optimisation, the team expect the algal battery to have roughly the same energy storage characteristics as lithium ion alternatives.

As well as being lighter, thinner and flexible, the algae-based battery also would be non-toxic and significantly cheaper to produce. The battery would be manufactured using an easy, all-chemical batch process using abundant materials, circumventing reliance on lithium-rich countries for the materials for new energy technologies and ensuring more stable and reliable pricing. The simple, low-tech processes involved also make it easy for developing countries to produce the new algae-based batteries themselves.

Talking about the likely uses for the flexible light-weight batteries, paper co-author Professor Maria Str