December 19, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
Sony Unveils New Paper-powered Bio Battery Sony Unveils New Paper-powered Bio Battery
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/sony-unveils-new-paper-powered-bio-battery/
CloudTags: Sony , Paper-powered , Battery , Toshiba pa3534u-1brs batteries , Samsung nc10 battery life , Sony vgp-bps5 battery pack
At the moment, the rechargeable batteries we rely on in our gadgets don’t contain the most environmentally-friendly materials, and aren’t the type of thing anyone should be throwing away. They should be recycled at a specialist recycle center. What would be much more eco-friendly is a way to create power from waste products, but at a level where an individual could do it themselves. Sony has been working to create these so-called bio-batteries, and has just shown one off at the Eco-Products 2011 environmental products fair in Tokyo.
If such a battery were to go commercial, it could see certain waste products such as paper reused to power batteries rather than being recycled outside of the home. In order for that to happen, the battery technology has to produce enough power to make it viable. At the moment, that’s the sticking point, and something Sony has already spent several years trying to improve. It seems at best the bio-battery will power a digital music player. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a bio-battery in action. Early last year Sony demonstrated a fan being powered by a sugar-filled soft drink. We’ve also see a cell phone modified to run purely on Coca Cola. Ever since the need of sustainable development has been identified as the sole means for a greener earth, scientists, world over have been in search of a power source which runs on waste material and releases ecologically harmless byproducts. Electronic giant Sony has recently demonstrated a battery which runs on shredded paper and produces water as waste.
Sony’s idea is to provide a battery where by the user adds their own fuel sourced from waste materials. In this case, the proof of concept battery uses a mixture of enzymes to break down shredded pieces of paper. The paper provides the cellulose that is broken down by a first set of enzymes to produce sugar, the second set of enzymes then uses the sugar to produce hydrogen ions and electrons. Finally, the electrons are used to produce electricity through a circuit, while the hydrogen ions form water by being exposed to oxygen in the air.
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December 19, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk Sony Unveils New Paper-powered Bio Battery
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point of view. This is the reason why there is so much buzz around Sony’s new battery. The next step forward would be to increase the power output of the battery. If Sony’s eco battery is indeed as good as it seems, then it would be a pioneer of biologically powered energy sources. And using such sources would mean taking a big step towards a cleaner earth.
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This isn’t the first battery to run on biological elements. The last decade has seen several such devices. In 2007, Sony itself had come up with a battery which ran on sugar. But all of these prototypes were either too bulky or were unable to produce sufficient power for them to be economically viable.
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Science behind its working The mechanism behind this battery is similar to how a termite digests wood. A solution of water and enzymes break down the cellulose present in paper to release electrons and hydrogen ions. The electrons create the current while the hydrogen ions react with oxygen from the air to release water. As demonstrated by Sony, this Sony battery produces enough power to run a small fan. They claim that it will also be able to run your iPod.
Advantages The batteries which we normally use are lithium based, and being non biodegradable, they are disposed in landfills. Though lithium is not an environment hazard, dumping billions of batteries is not exactly the best solution from the environment
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