Researchers use baijiu to power batteries
Researchers in China have found a way to turn baijiu by-products into low-cost materials that boost battery performance. The post Researchers use baijiu to power batteries appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Researchers in China have found a way to turn baijiu by-products into low-cost materials that boost battery performance.
Professor Liu Xingquan, a project leader from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, has led a team of researchers in a new study of baijiu's by-products.
The team found that leftover sediment from baijiu distillation can act as a source of material for boosting the performance of sodium-ion batteries.
"This innovative low-cost, eco-friendly method holds promise for large-scale production once the technology matures," said the professor.
Sodium-ion batteries are increasingly being used in energy storage systems and low-speed electric vehicles, considered an alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their lower cost and safer design.
Baijiu has become the unlikely source of material used to create these batteries. According to SCMP, Liu's team turned to Chinese baijiu producer Wuliangye for a source of biomass that could be converted into an eco-friendly, high-performance electrode material.
The biomass, in this case, was the leftover sediment from the fermentation of baijiu. Partially-fermented grain residue from the baijiu making process is typically used as feed and fertilisers, but the research revealing a new use for the by-product was published on 14 February in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Liu said of the batteries made using baijiu by-products: "While the energy density of this battery is slightly below the industry standard of 300 mAh/g, its cycle performance is impressive. This makes it more suitable for energy storage applications that require frequent charging and discharging, rather than for electric vehicles needing long single-charge ranges."
The product also offers a significant reduction in cost. "Currently, hard carbon can be extracted from tar or prepared from biomass such as bamboo and nutshells. The structure of hard carbon varies slightly depending on the biomass used, but this technique can be adapted to use other types of spent lees, providing a cost advantage," he said.
"Wuliangye company provided the raw material for our experiment, but our team holds the independent patents. The next step will be to scale production to the kilogram level," Liu added.
He said the strategy outlined in the work "provides a promising approach toward the commercialisation of hard carbon anodes for SIBs [sodium-ion batteries]".
Professor Liu Xingquan, a project leader from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, has led a team of researchers in a new study of baijiu's by-products.
The team found that leftover sediment from baijiu distillation can act as a source of material for boosting the performance of sodium-ion batteries.
"This innovative low-cost, eco-friendly method holds promise for large-scale production once the technology matures," said the professor.
Sodium-ion batteries are increasingly being used in energy storage systems and low-speed electric vehicles, considered an alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their lower cost and safer design.
Baijiu has become the unlikely source of material used to create these batteries. According to SCMP, Liu's team turned to Chinese baijiu producer Wuliangye for a source of biomass that could be converted into an eco-friendly, high-performance electrode material.
The biomass, in this case, was the leftover sediment from the fermentation of baijiu. Partially-fermented grain residue from the baijiu making process is typically used as feed and fertilisers, but the research revealing a new use for the by-product was published on 14 February in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Liu said of the batteries made using baijiu by-products: "While the energy density of this battery is slightly below the industry standard of 300 mAh/g, its cycle performance is impressive. This makes it more suitable for energy storage applications that require frequent charging and discharging, rather than for electric vehicles needing long single-charge ranges."
The product also offers a significant reduction in cost. "Currently, hard carbon can be extracted from tar or prepared from biomass such as bamboo and nutshells. The structure of hard carbon varies slightly depending on the biomass used, but this technique can be adapted to use other types of spent lees, providing a cost advantage," he said.
"Wuliangye company provided the raw material for our experiment, but our team holds the independent patents. The next step will be to scale production to the kilogram level," Liu added.
He said the strategy outlined in the work "provides a promising approach toward the commercialisation of hard carbon anodes for SIBs [sodium-ion batteries]". 
