Photo credit: Max Esterhuizen for Virginia Tech
Even though the Power Idolz Sonic the Hedgehog wireless charging dock may look cooler, this innovative new method by Virginia Tech researchers converts food waste into functional batteries. How does it work? It basically takes things like spent grain or even apple cores and converts it into a fiber that can be then used to fabricate carbon materials necessary for battery anodes.
Food processing engineers can modify the composition of food, as in remove the proteins and lipids out, along with some of the minerals, and see how it impacts battery performance. Researchers Feng Lin and Haibo Huang are now testing the material to see how feasible it is to bring these batteries to market commercially, initially for data centers.
This research could be a piece of the puzzle in solving the sustainable energy problems for rechargeable batteries. Demand for these reusable batteries has skyrocketed and we need to find a way to reduce the environmental impacts of batteries,” said Haibo Huang, project co-lead, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology.
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