US Scientists Use Plastic Waste to Further Develop Battery Technology

Due to the development of battery technology and the use of plastic waste, scientists could provide new ways for renewable energy, conversion, and storage. A team of scientists from Purdue University in the US has successfully created a technology that enables them to convert waste polyethylene terephthalate into battery components.

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Polyethylene terephthalate is one of the most recycled materials belonging to the polyester polymer family. Polyethylene terephthalate is a transparent, strong, and lightweight plastic that is widely used in food packaging.

The research team used an ultra-fast microwave radiation process to convert polyethylene terephthalate plastic waste to disodium terephthalate. This process allows researchers to sustainably manufacture materials used as anode materials.

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Vilas Pol, a Purdue associate professor of chemical engineering who has worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to develop several battery technologies said: "We use an ultrafast microwave irradiation process to turn PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, flakes into disodium terephthalate, and use that as battery anode materials. We are helping to address the growth in the proliferation of renewable energy conversion and storage, which stems from societal attention and increasing awareness of climate change and energy resource limitation."

The research team from the US Purdue University tried this method using both lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries. Pol said that although lithium-ion technology currently dominates the market for portable electronic products and electric vehicles, the low cost of sodium-ion batteries and the electrochemical performance in power grid applications have attracted widespread attention.

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Pol continued: "Since microwave technology has the advantage of a rapid reaction process, the application of microwave technology in organic reactions has recently received attention. We have accomplished the complete conversion of polyethylene terephthalate to disodium terephthalate within 120 seconds, in a typical household microwave setup." The technology of the US Purdue University to use plastic waste for further developing battery would be a big leap for the process of a greener environment.

 

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