WHAT if cement and carbon black could be used for bulk energy storage in the near future? This is the innovative approach being developed by American scientists who are currently working on a low-cost energy storage system.
The race to develop new technologies for producing renewable energy is fast and furious. However, most of these new technologies still face two major challenges: that of producing sufficient quantities to meet people's energy needs, and that of eliminating the necessity of using rare metals in the manufacturing process by favouring materials that are more respectful of the environment and human health.
"The large-scale implementation of renewable energy systems necessitates the development of energy storage solutions to effectively manage imbalances between energy supply and demand," outlined scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the USA. These researchers recently published a paper on a finding that could prove promising in addressing the two issues: the development of a new low-cost energy storage system.
The study, published last month in the journal PNAS, describes how the researchers succeeded in creating "supercapacitors" with the capability of storing extremely large charges. To achieve this, the scientists introduced carbon black (a highly conductive material) into a concrete mixture with cement powder and water, before allowing it to harden.
After the material developed a network of branch-like structures, it was then soaked in a potassium chloride solution, so that the charged particles could accumulate on the carbon structures. The technology thus relies on carbon black and cement, which, combined with water, form an alternative to batteries that could make it possible to store electrical energy. And this is all the more exciting in that it can be "locally sourced from virtually anywhere on the planet," as the authors of the work point out.
After a series of tests, the team of scientists set about making supercapacitors no bigger than some button cells (ie, around 1 centimeter in diameter and 1 millimeter thick). They now plan to build a series of larger versions.
"You can go from 1-millimetre-thick electrodes to 1-meter-thick electrodes, and by doing so basically you can scale the energy storage capacity, from lighting an LED for a few seconds, to powering an entire house," Professor Franz-Josef Ulm, co-author of the study told MIT News. He adds: "It's really a multifunctional material."
This new system, which works in a similar manner to conventional batteries, could store electrical energy for an entire day, for example, by being incorporated into the concrete foundations of a house.
The researchers also envisage a concrete pavement that would enable contactless recharging (thanks to solar energy) of the electric cars driving on it. German and Dutch companies are already developing a similar system for recharging cars, but using standard batteries for storage, outlines the MIT News story. – ETX Daily Up, August 11, 2023
