If you want to quickly remember what blue energy Watch this video. In summary, blue energy or salinity gradient force Just like a river flows into the sea, it uses the difference between freshwater and seawater to generate electricity. This energy source has been known for decades, but is still in the early stages of implementation.in fact the first one blue energy plant It was opened in Norway in 2009. However, promising progress has been made in this regard. innovative technologyA lab at Stanford University has developed a new battery based on blue energy. They call it the Entropy Mixed Battery (EMB).
Developed by engineers at Stanford University, the Blue Energy device does not require pressure (known as pressure-delayed osmosis or PRO) or membranes (reverse electrodialysis or RED), it produces electricity solely through an electrochemical process. The fact sets it apart from previous technologies. The battery contains a tank filled with effluent from the A wastewater treatment plant. Some electrodes in the tank release sodium ions when submerged in water. The movement of these ions creates a current that flows from the anode to the cathode. Fresh water is then rapidly replaced by salt water, sending sodium and chloride ions back to the electrodes and reversing the current. Electricity is generated by the influx of both freshwater and seawater. This means the battery is constantly charging and discharging without the need for an external power source.
“The first test of a blue energy battery based on exchange of salt water and sea water was conducted at a wastewater treatment plant in Palo Alto (California).”
first test with this blue energy technology project A one-hour cycle switchover from saltwater from a nearby bay to treated freshwater at a wastewater treatment plant in Palo Alto (USA) proved this feasibility. New technologyThe researchers confirmed that the material retained 97% efficiency while capturing the salinity gradient energy over 180 cycles.
EMB is the second generation of this. Battery type what they have developed. The first version used an expensive silver-based electrode with limited commercial use. Instead of silver, the electrodes are now coated with Persian Blue, a very low-cost pigment. This pigment, together with polypyrrole, sells for less than $1/kg and can be purchased in bulk for $3/kg.
big possibility
the goal of EMBs provide a source of power to make the wastewater treatment plant carbon neutral, energy self-sufficiencyA major problem with this type of blue energy plant is that it is currently energy intensive and is subject to power outages that can disrupt operations. If freshwater released into the sea becomes the energy source that powers these plants, the wastewater treatment cycle could become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
As pointed out, coastal wastewater treatment plants are one of the greatest opportunities for this type of blue energy. By some estimates, all such plants in the world could generate about 18 gigawatts if used this way.
sauce: Stanford university
