Researchers want to extract battery materials from wood waste

Sustainable energy storage - Researchers want to extract battery materials from wood waste

Researchers at the Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena aim to extract sustainable battery materials from waste products of the wood industry in the future. The new research consortium at the university will receive approximately five million Euros in funding for this purpose over the next six years from the Carl-Zeiss-Foundation, as the university announced.

Specifically, it's about the substance Lignin, which ensures that wood remains stable. This makes up about half the mass of the tree. However, for paper production, for example, only cellulose is of interest. Lignin is therefore usually burned. According to the announcement, around 50 million tonnes of Lignin are produced annually in the pulp industry alone. The substance is therefore well-suited for large-scale use.

Critical metals are to be avoided

Scientists at the university's Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC) aim to upgrade this waste product to a valuable resource. "Like cellulose and other biopolymers, it consists of carbon-based building blocks that can be used much more effectively in chemistry," said chemist Martin Oschatz.

Lignin could be the starting point for materials for batteries and help make production possible without critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, or mangan.

1. The goal of the research at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Thuringia is to utilize Lignin, a substantial waste product from forestry, as a source for sustainable battery materials.
2. The new research project, funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Foundation for over six years, aims to upgrade Lignin into a valuable resource for energy storage, potentially reducing reliance on critical metals like lithium, cobalt, or mangan.
3. Researchers at the university's Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC) believe that Lignin's carbon-based structure, similar to cellulose, can provide more efficient usage in battery production.
4. The abundance of Lignin, with around 50 million tonnes produced annually in the pulp industry, supports its potential for large-scale use in the development of sustainable energy storage solutions.

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