The world moves toward a cleaner future or at least it seems like it does. Recently, many countries declared to ban on diesel cars as a strategy to combat climate change and as a result of this, motivation to purchase an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles have seen a major rise in demand in recent years and the number is going to skyrocket with the diesel restrictions and strong advertising on ‘greener’ transportation means. Yet, many critics have noticed that the batteries in electric cars are not only short-lasting but need to be replaced after several years which is not only pricey but also creates a waste of raw materials that were used for battery construction. Stora Enso, a Finnish paper mill company, realised that nowadays we use lesser and lesser in our daily life due to digitalisation. They decided to connect the problem of batteries and leftovers of paper production to create a plan of batteries coming from trees, and more directly speaking from the lignin from the paper pulp.
Stora Enso claims to be one of the largest if not the largest private forest company in the world, having many resources needed for paper production. Their idea is to use lignin which is ‘the glue in the trees that kind of glues the cellulose fibres together and also makes the trees very stiff’, as Lauri Lehtonen explains, the main thinker behind the idea of a lignin-based battery solution. Lignin is a polymer which means that it contains carbon which then is a great source for crucial parts in batteries commonly called an anode. Because during the processing of wood, a lot of waste pulp is being created, the Finnish company decided to extract carbon from this pulp to make this significant material for battery anodes and plans with the partnership of a Swedish company they want to already start the production as early as by 2025.
The idea comes from the observations of the world’s market of vehicles where it is expected that the market for batteries in coming years will increase significantly. Moreover, the critics of electric cars often mention the process of extracting lithium which is used to create the batteries for electric cars. Extraction is an industrial process that damages the environment and involves mining. Some of the materials that are within a battery are also toxic, or not recyclable. The positive thing about the batteries coming from trees is that companies declared that they do not wish to cut any new trees or increase the demand for paper manufacturing to get more pulp – they will use what already exists. It is a highly ecological method that provides a green perspective for batteries. In the future, there might be a concern about how strict the regulations are going to be in this sector in terms of cutting new trees, as if this market branch would explode it would automatically increase the demand for waste paper pulp, therefore increasing demand for trees.
Even though the idea sounds futuristic, the first invention of paper power was discovered in 2007 in the US. Since then, scientists concluded a few points of weaknesses and strengths of such energy mean. First, in the fall, there is environmental influence. The production of paper batteries does not generate any pollution like toxic metal pollutants and the disposal of such batteries is also much more eco-friendly. Secondly, there is no threat of leakage of dangerous chemical substances in a battery as there is none in a paper one. Moreover, they are ultra-thin, flexible, and light which makes them perfect for many devices in every branch of life. More importantly, they can be used in extreme weather ranging from -73 to 143 degrees of Celsius. On the other hand, some sources say that introducing them on a global scale would take 30 to 70 years, therefore it might be slightly too futuristic, yet the Finnish company, mentioned above, might find in the future a more realistic and quicker way of introducing it.
Bibliography:
- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221215-the-batteries-made-from-wood
- https://www.how2shout.com/technology/paper-battery-vs-conventional-battery-difference.html
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/paper-battery-future-renewable-energy-snehashis-paul
- https://usharama.edu.in/blogDetail/paper-battery
Wow, I couldn’t agree more! The idea of using the paper pulp to make batteries for electric cars is truly revolutionary. It addresses one of the biggest issues with electric cars, which is their environmental impact due to the production process. I’m curious to see if these paper pulp batteries will not only be better for the environment but also increase the efficiency and accuracy of the batteries. As you mentioned, batteries are currently the biggest drawback of electric cars, so finding a solution to this problem is crucial.
It’s also exciting to see that a Finnish company is at the forefront of this technology. Finland is known for its advanced paper and label production, so it’s not surprising that a company from there is pioneering this new technology.
I never thought that the topic of alternative energy would come to this. This really has the right to attention, it would be interesting to see the application in reality, since in electric cars, there are still disadvantages
Using lignin from paper pulp to make batteries for electric vehicles is an innovative and good for the environment way to get rid of old batteries and stop mining for lithium. The idea of Stora Enso to use waste pulp from making paper to get carbon for battery anodes is a good one.
It gives batteries a green look because it is good for the environment. This idea is good because the company does not want to cut down more trees or make more paper to get more pulp. Batteries made from lignin also don’t leak dangerous metals and are easier to get rid of in a way that is better for the environment.to sum up, I definitely support the idea and am a fan of it, hoping for development and deeper applications into life.