Science
Hemoglobin Battery Gives 30 days of Sustainable Power by Using a Protein Found in Blood Cells
Table of Contents
The Demand for Batteries is Increasing
The everyday battery is a staple of portable electricity generation.
In this world of energy-demanding devices, it’s estimated that the battery industry makes $50 billion each year. Electric cars, cell phones, and even smart canes for the visually impaired all require battery power to function. This number is only expected to go up in the next decade as more devices are produced.
It’s no wonder, then, that the race for a better battery is on. The ideal battery would have a long life, be adaptable to unusual conditions, and have a minimum negative impact on the environment.
But the good news is that batteries have recently gotten a lot better.
Hemoglobin Battery
A research team in the University of Cordoba in Spain has created a hemoglobin battery that operates using the protein hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to our blood. It transports oxygen from the lungs to the organs, then carries carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be exhaled out of the body. The Hemoglobin batter uses hemoglobin as the electrolyte in a zinc-air battery.
Hemoglobin Batteries vs Lithium-ion Batteries
The most common batteries on the market today are lithium-ion batteries. These are the ones we buy in stores and put in most devices. Today, lithium-ion battery are a major problem for the environment. Lithium mining is in high demand, but lithium is becoming scarce. Groundwater and soil are becoming contaminated by the millions of batteries that end up in landfills every year. Due to their biocompatible nature, Hemoglobin batteries could reduce this in the future.
Hemoglobin Batteries vs Zinc-Air Batteries
Zinc-air batteries are commonly used in things such as watches and medical equipment. It works in a similar process to other batteries; However, it uses zinc and a supply of oxygen to produce power as opposed to lithium like other batteries. While this makes it more sustainable than other batteries, the hemoglobin battery is stronger, lasts longer, and more biocompatible.
The Benefits of the Hemoglobin Battery
- Longevity: The team at the University of Cordoba reports that they have been able to operate the hemoglobin battery on only 0.165 milligrams of hemoglobin for up to 30 days. This could be promising. The fewer battery changes that are needed, the more cost-effective batteries become.
- Biocompatibility: This battery holds much promise for use in technology that must be embedded in the body, such as a pacemaker. Since hemoglobin exists naturally in the body, it may be safer to use than a battery full of chemicals.
- Strength: Hemoglobin batteries can withstand conditions other batteries can’t. Other models can be damaged by humidity or need to be manufactured in special environments.
How Do Conventional Batteries Work?
Batteries operate on a system which is simple, yet ingenious.
A battery is a small, portable device that produces in itself. It allows a device to be operated without needing to be plugged into a wall outlet. This is essential for things like medical wearables, smart devices, and now, flying cars.
Electricity is a form of energy caused by charged atomic particles, such as electrons. When it sits still, it’s called static. When it flows from place to place, it’s known as a current. A battery has a process for creating this current and using it to power whatever device it’s plugged into.
Battery Pollution is a Big Problem
Battery pollution is a far bigger problem than most of us realize. North Americans throw away about 3.3 billion batteries every year. Less than five percent of the batteries consumed get recycled properly.
Batteries that get thrown into landfills leak harmful chemicals into the environment. This includes materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium. All of these are destructive to the environment and hazardous to humans and animals.
Hemoglobin Batteries in the Future
A sustainable battery is critical in a world of technological devices. The hemoglobin battery opens up a brand-new door toward meeting that need.
While the bio-based battery is promising, it still needs work. Scientists are currently looking for a biological protein that can make hemoglobin batteries rechargeable. Moreover, the battery needs a high amount of oxygen to function properly. This makes it an unlikely candidate for such things as space exploration and deep-sea studies.
However, every journey begins with a single step. The hemoglobin battery is a promising first step toward the future.
IC Inspiration
Another solution to the battery pollution problem may be brewing in a little garage in Minnesota.
Gabriel Riegert, a marketing student at St. Thomas University in Minnesota, decided it was time to find that solution. So, he and his roommate, Georges Macheta, opened a business called Converteca and got to work finding the answer.
They’ve developed a five-step process that not only recycles the battery but reclaims the material inside to be reused in new batteries.
- They begin by deconstructing the battery and draining out any leftover energy using a diffusion tank.
- They then separate the battery’s components, and wind up with a black, powdery mass that can be used to create materials such as lithium and nickel in new batteries.
- Each material undergoes a purity check, then it’s sent to a battery manufacturing company.
This not only keeps the toxins out of the environment, but it also tackles another problem: lithium mining.
Most of the batteries we use in our cell phones, laptops, and other mobile devices are powered by lithium. This is a naturally existing substance that is extracted from the Earth through mining. But mining lithium is not an easy thing to do.
The process involves pumping tremendous amounts of fresh water into the shale in the mine. This is a problem because most mines are done in areas that are impacted by drought. These places also happen to be in short supply of fresh water.
From the murky slew that this creates, the miners extract a muddy slurry. This is left to evaporate. What’s left is huge pools of toxic waste that will sit for centuries.
A process to reclaim the lithium from those billions of cast-off batteries would reduce the need for mining and the impact it would have on our environment.
The Converteca process stands out because it has a 98.3% reclamation rate. Meaning that, 98.3% of the time, reused batteries in the Converteca process wont end up in the environment.
Converteca is gaining attention. In April of 2023, they won the $10,000 first prize in the Pitch Slam! at the e-Fest Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Competition.
It seems that young entrepreneurs are everywhere!
As long as inspirational people like Gabriel and Georges are unwilling to give up on finding solutions to problems, we can look forward to the day when our rivers and oceans will be, once again, free of battery waste.