Algae-Based Batteries in the Works?

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There comes a time in everyone’s life when regular batteries would simply not suffice. That’s when such algae-based batteries should be employed, but are we ready for this brand new technology?

We’re stuck using AA batteries that don’t really measure up to our expectations, not to mention our disappointment when it comes to cell phone and laptop batteries. So would a battery made of green algae be good enough? Well at least the environment won’t suffer as much when we dispose of batteries made of grass that grows underwater, will it?

Scientists have found that the regular green algae, called Cladophora, also known for that algae smell we have to deal on certain beaches, makes a special kind of cellulose. What’s particularly amazing is the large cellulose surface area, about 100 times of the cellulose found in paper. Researchers were able to play with the conducting polymer and make it recharge, hold and discharge electricity.

Maria Stromme, nanotechnologist at the Uppsala University in Sweden had this to say about the algae-based battery:

We have long hoped to find some sort of constructive use for the material from algae blooms and have now been shown this to be. This creates new possibilities for large-scale production of environmentally friendly, cost-effective, lightweight energy storage systems.

That doesn’t mean that our future handsets and notebooks will come with cellulose-based batteries made of green algae. In fact, the researchers behind this technology are looking for new ways of using it like clothes and wallpaper, although nothing is really certain at this point.

And although they don’t want to replace the lithium battery just yet, it looks like the algae battery would hold 50 to 200% more charge than similar conducting polymer batteries. They would recharge a lot faster compared to standard rechargeable batteries. Instead of an hour they would be done in 11 seconds to 8 minutes. The algae battery only showed a 6% loss of charge after 100 charging cycles while similar polymer batteries show a 50% loss after 60 charging cycles.

I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t mind seeing those algae batteries power up my laptop right now. How much would one such battery cost?