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Skoltech researchers and their collaborators from France, the US, Switzerland, and Australia were able to create and describe a mixed oxide Na(Li1/3Mn2/3)O2 that holds promise as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries, which can take one day complement or even replace lithium-ion batteries. The paper was published in the journal
Nature Materials.
Lithium-ion batteries are powering the modern world of consumer devices and driving a revolution in electric transportation. But since lithium is rather rare and challenging to extract from an environmental standpoint, researchers and engineers have been looking for more sustainable and cost-effective alternatives for quite some time now.
More biofuels are needed to counteract climate change. But producing them shouldn t diminish food production or wilderness areas. The solution may be to grow more grass on recently abandoned cropland.
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A grant of approx. DKK 21 million (EUR 2.8 million) from the EU framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020 will help a research team from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at Aarhus University to lead a global collaboration aiming to develop new technologies to produce green ammonia.
In terms of volume, ammonia is today one of the ten most important chemicals manufactured globally. The substance is primarily used in the production of fertilisers for modern agriculture, but has lately been envisaged as an opportunity to reduce carbon footprint for other industries, for instance the marine sector.
However, ammonia production is currently far from sustainable and carbon-free. The primary method of producing the annual approx. 235 million tonnes of ammonia used the world over is the Haber-Bosch process, which was invented more than 100 years ago.
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The liquid electrolytes in flow batteries provide a bridge to help carry electrons into electrodes, and that changes how chemical engineers think about efficiency.
The way to boost electron transfer in grid-scale batteries is different than researchers had believed, a new study from the University of Michigan has shown.
The findings are a step toward being able to store renewable energy more efficiently.
As governments and utilities around the world roll out intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, we remain reliant on coal, natural gas and nuclear power plants to provide energy when the wind isn t blowing and the sun isn t shining. Grid-scale flow batteries are one proposed solution, storing energy for later use. But because they aren t very efficient, they need to be large and expensive.
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Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, could help decrease the world s reliance on fossil fuels. But first, power companies need a safe, cost-effective way to store the energy for later use. Massive lithium-ion batteries can do the job, but they suffer from safety issues and limited lithium availability. Now, researchers reporting in ACS
Nano Letters have made a prototype of an anode-free, zinc-based battery that uses low-cost, naturally abundant materials.
Aqueous zinc-based batteries have been previously explored for grid-scale energy storage because of their safety and high energy density. In addition, the materials used to make them are naturally abundant. However, the rechargeable zinc batteries developed so far have required thick zinc metal anodes, which contain a large excess of zinc that increases cost. Also, the anodes are prone to forming dendrites crystalline projections of zinc metal that deposit on the anode during charging that can sh