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Algae Could Be the Key To Ultra-Thin Batteries

Posted by Soulskill on from the green-power-that's-actually-green dept.

MikeChino writes "Algae is often touted as the next big thing in biofuels, but the slimy stuff could also be the key to paper-thin biodegradable batteries, according to researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden. Uppsala researcher Maria Stromme and her team has found that the smelly algae species that clumps on beaches, known as Cladophora, can also be used to make a type of cellulose that has 100 times the surface area of cellulose found in paper. That means it can hold enough conducting polymers to effectively recharge and hold electricity for long amounts of time. Eventually, the bio batteries could compete with commercial lithium-ion batteries."

4 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. green tech by timmarhy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i wish other industries could make such wild claims and have everyone believe them.

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    If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
    1. Re:green tech by ushering05401 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He's modded troll because he is projecting some sort of faith in these press releases on to the rest of us. Reading green tech/energy content is kinda like reading optimistic sci-fi - you know - gee, wouldn't it be nice.

      Even if the tech is viable, the IP situation in the Western World dictates a long road from conceptualization to delivery. Simply having a story posted doesn't mean anyone is buying into it... Just means we won't be as surprised as everyone else if it turns out to work.

  2. Re:BSG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...can also be used to make a type of cellulose that has 100 times the surface area of cellulose found in paper. Not to mention the super-absorbent toilet paper we could make.

  3. Re:Does anyone remember this? by wizardforce · · Score: 4, Informative

    Geobacter Is capable of doing precisely what you describe. The bacterium extends electrode like pili into its environment and degrading various materials ranging from hydrocarbons to Uranium salts. However, Geobacter creates an electrical current in a very different way than these algae batteries would. The algae battery looks like it uses the cellulose as a supportive structure in rather than using biological processes to generate an electrical potential.

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    Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.