For example, there is danger in the idea that electric cars are inherently greener and greener. What is the source of the power it consumes? How are the batteries manufactured? Choosing to develop renewable energy is part of the equation. Second, the way electric vehicles (EVs) are manufactured will become more sustainable. And the battery is the heart of this technology. It currently accounts for one-third of the cost of electric vehicles. Finding replacements for current materials or recycling them are two basic approaches to achieving green certification. In the past, high-temperature processes have been used to recycle precious metals in batteries, but have the disadvantage of producing toxic fumes. But a group of scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University are turning to a solution that uses fruit peels to recycle precious metals from old batteries. In this way, organic waste can be put to good use while being recycled.In other words, how to apply the principle of circular economy.
How are batteries recycled?
In recent years, chemical treatments have begun to be used on older batteries, which are shredded and reduced to a paste known as black lumps. Acid baths allow the most valuable substances to be extracted, but are still not an eco-friendly solution. Used together, they extracted compounds such as manganese, lithium, cobalt, and nickel with 90% efficiency. This is comparable to the results obtained with hydrogen peroxide, which he is one of the most commonly used acids in the recycling process.
Researchers point out that one of the keys is in the cellulose found in orange peels. Other antioxidants such as phenolic acids and flavonoids in orange waste also appear to help optimize the process. The residue is non-toxic.
Technology projects with (real) industrial applications
Often this type of technical project works in a laboratory setting but fails to transition to industrial production. However, developers have already created functional batteries from recycled materials that exhibit similar charging capacity to the original device. They are currently working on process optimization to further improve the performance of the recycled batteries and optimize production on a large scale. Technically, orange peel is one option, but it may be possible to use other vegetable waste. We are also exploring the possibility of applying this innovative method to different types of batteries such as lithium, iron and phosphate.
If you want to learn more about recycling organic household waste, check out this article I published earlier about eggshell home hacks. In any case, whether the initiative is industrial or national, it is clear that a zero-waste circular economy is destined to play a key role in economic sustainability in the decades to come. am.
sauce: science daily
