For this assignment, I have to look for a material that has been made safer by using a greener process. At first, I really did not know what to look for. After a while, I eventually decided to write this blog about batteries. Though making greener batteries is still a growing idea, I am going to talk about the current ideas on making them greener.
As we all know, hundreds of thousands of regular batteries are ending up in landfills on a regular basis, and this is a huge problem since the metals these batteries contain are very toxic to the environment. If you didn't know this before, now you do! To help solve this environmental threat, rechargeable batteries were created. The problem now is that these rechargeable batteries are just sitting on the shelves. More people are still using the old batteries (maybe because they are way cheaper, and you don't have to wait hours for them to recharge). So scientists are putting their brains together and are discovering new ways to make batteries greener and even cheaper than today's rechargeable and old metal batteries.
Scientists are thinking of creating metal-free batteries from (of all things) algae, they call it conductive polymer batteries. These will be very lightweight made of paper coated in thin layers of composite electrode polymer materials (or algae). The algae paper is great because it has got a wide surface area, so it can hold more of the conducting polymer than the products of the old toxic battery can. These future batteries are going to be cheaper to make, recyclable, sturdy, and definitely greener! It has still got a long way to go before we start to see them in the market.
Another way that scientists are thinking of making batteries (specifically lithium ion rechargeable batteries) greener is by having them recharge at an even faster rate. The crazy part of this is that they have discovered a way to make them recharge in a matter of seconds! All they did was wrap the metal in glass (lithium phosphate), and discovered that this made the battery charge instantaneously. Turns out, this coating also helps the battery keep it's charge longer. Can you imagine your phone fully charged in just nine seconds or so? That's really awesome.
Hopefully in the future we'll be able to see these batteries take over the market for the sake of the environment. I could not find any specific chemical reactions to prove that the new and improved batteries are better. I did my best to explain how these batteries are greener. These are great new discoveries!
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This is great! One of our big concerns for waste is finally able to at least begin the process of becoming green. And algae? Who knew? And recharging batteries wouldn't actually take that long as long as you have other batteries to use in the mean time; then just keep switching them out. In the long run it would definitely save consumers money and the consumers would also be thinking green.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. Batteries are something that we all use, but they produce so much waste. I personally love rechargeable batteries. They do cost a bit more, but you only have to buy them once, which I find more convenient than running to the store every time I need more. The idea of batteries being made with greener materials is pretty interesting because I think they are one of those things people do not think about as being unsafe, even though they definitely are. These new batteries could be a way for people to participate in green incentives without really having to do anything extra, which would be good for those who are resistant to this type of movement.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good idea. Like you said batteries create so much toxic waste! Creating a new greener battery is great for the environment. So many are used each day that the amount of waste would decrease alot. It would be interesting to see how long it will be for products like this to come out. As well as the cost of them.
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