Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed a fuel cell
battery that can run on any type of sugar source. The batteries can
run on anything from soft drinks to syrup and are said to last 3 to
4 times longer than lithium ion batteries. The funding for the
research was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The sugar battery works by using enzymes to strip sugars of charges
which generate electricity. The only byproduct of the fuel cell is
water and all materials that compose the battery are biodegradable,
states the press release from the American Chemical Society of
Society.
This study shows that renewable fuels can be directly employed in
batteries at room temperature to lead to more energy-efficient
battery technology than metal-based approaches, says study leader
Shelley Minteer, Ph.D., an electrochemist at Saint Louis
University. It demonstrates that by bridging biology and
chemistry, we can build a better battery thats also cleaner for
the environment.
The only tested sugar products have been flat soda, glucose,
sweetened liquids and tree sap which have showed good results. When
testing with sweetened carbonated beverages, the results did not
turn out so well, says Minteer.
Minteer envisions that the sugar battery will first be used for
cell phone rechargers. The hope is that cell phone batteries would,
once depleted, use a sugar reserve compartment to refuel the
battery.
Future development of the fuel cell has its sights on longer
duration and variable environmental conditions. No information has
been released about mass production or public release.
