Now this is sweet. Researchers at Saint Louis University have developed a biodegradable fuel cell battery that runs on sugar, according to a report by my Network World colleagues over at Alpha Doggs.
The batteries purportedly will last three to four times as long as lithium ion. From the Alpha Doggs:
The scientists presented their findings at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society. A prototype of the stamp-sized battery runs a calculator, but future applications could include powering computers and recharging cellphones. Tree sap, soda and drink mixes have been used to power the batteries so far.
“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,” said study leader Shelley Minteer, an electrochemist at Saint Louis University, in a statement. “It demonstrates that by bridging biology and chemistry, we can build a better battery that’s also cleaner for the environment.”
The story has imaginations — not to mention wise guys — working full speed over at Slashdot. A few samples:
The most important question is if they can actually get these batteries to pump out enough juice to power anything of importance. They said that they got the battery to run a calculator, but calculators are EXTREMELY low powered devices. The fact that you can run a calculator with a tiny primitive solar strip gives you an idea of how little power some calculators actually need. When they get one of these batteries (even a large one) powering a MP3 player, I will be impressed. Until then, I am deeply skeptical that there is anything to this.
The other issue here is size. Even if they can pump out enough juice, they need the batteries to be small to be useful in most modern applications. The batteries for most electronic devices need to very small. There might be a niche market for this sort of thing, but I am very skeptical it is going to make any sort of splash in the consumer electronics field.
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If people are bothering to create batteries that run off food, why would they pick one of the least energy dense macronutrients? At 9 kilocalories per gram to carbs’ 4, fats kick the crap out of carbohydrates with regard to energy density. Strikes me as odd.
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Oh, I can see it now … The birds chirping, dew on the grass, notebooks, PDAs and iPods taking flight. …
Anything that can save me a few bucks on toy batteries would be welcome.
