Vad händer
Forskare på amerikanska Bemp Research har utvecklat ett litium-svavel- batteri med hampa som råvara.
Kontext
Istället för kobolt och nickel använder plantbaserade batterier restprodukter från hampa vilket är väldigt billigt.
Bemp Research said its LiS/B4C-hemp batteries — B4C-hemp meaning a boron carbide made of hemp — require only one heavy metal, lithium. This also means the batteries are far easier to recycle than lithium-ion batteries.
Hemp was chosen as one of the core materials due to its durability, porosity, and low costs. LiS batteries have problems such as the cathode contracting/expanding during charging/discharging, and the cathode’s polysulfides shuttling to the anode and hurting the batteries’ performance. Researchers could solve these problems using expensive materials such as graphene, but graphene is impossible to mass-produce. Hemp is a better, lower-cost solution. Hemp’s durability can help the cathode withstand hundreds of cycles of contraction and expansion. Hemp’s porous structure can help “trap” the polysulfides from shuttling to the anode.
Energy Tech: Will Hemp Make EV Batteries Better?
Vad har det för betydelse
Att odla hampa kräver lite vatten, inga bekämpningsmedel och är bättre kolfällor än träd i kontrast till mineraler som kräver gruvdrift.
The company explained in the interview with EnergyTech that using an abundant crop like hemp and other materials that are more widely available than heavy metals can alleviate supply chain issues, lead to less costly manufacturing and create batteries that are safer in the event that they are damaged. The LiS/B4C-hemp battery is less likely to combust if damaged compared to a lithium-ion battery, making it a safer alternative, according to Nguyen.
Under tests, the batteries show they can be charged in just 20 minutes and are expected to last 100,000 miles with fast charging or more with slow charging. The team hopes to scale to mass production by 2026, and the batteries will be especially suitable for heavy-duty electric trucks and electric airplanes.
EcoWatch: Researchers Make Batteries From Hemp
Hampa växer snabbt, i alla möjliga geografiska miljöer och jordförhållanden.
