Battery Materials from Trees for a Sustainable Future
November 25, 2024
As demand for sustainable energy storage grows, researchers are turning to battery materials from trees as a viable alternative. One promising candidate is lignin, a carbon-rich polymer in tree bark, which could replace synthetic graphite in battery anodes, making lignin-based batteries a more sustainable battery material.
Unlike conventional graphite anodes, lignin-derived carbon requires lower processing temperatures and has an irregular structure, allowing for faster ion mobility and ultra-fast charging in electric vehicle batteries.
Lignin also enables sodium-ion batteries, a leading lithium-ion battery alternative that is low-cost and high-energy. Since sodium is more abundant than lithium, these batteries could significantly reduce the need for resource-intensive mining.
Despite the promise of lignin-based batteries, they must prove commercial viability and outperform graphite, which has dominated battery technology for decades. The first lignin-based anode batteries could enter production in 2025, but their long-term impact remains to be seen.
Could trees hold the key to the future of batteries?
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