An Indian research scholar and scientist has developed a disposable as well as a flexible battery made from paper that can be used to generate power from the bacteria that is present in sewage water. IIT Kharagpur research scholar Ramya Veerubhotla’s battery has been made using air as a cathode. On the other hand, the anode can be made from any simple carbon based material. In order for the Eco-Friendly Paper Battery to begin energy production, sewage water which contains bacteria needs to be injected into it.
Other ‘continuous capillary driven flow mode’ can also be used for such a generation of bioelectricity. Generally, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can take as long a time as a couple of days in order to start the production of power since the bacteria needs to get adjusted to the existing environment. However, with this Eco-Friendly Paper Battery, power production starts in 10 seconds, that is, immediately. Though it may be difficult to power household devices with such a Eco-Friendly Paper Battery; however, this can easily provide power to certain electronic components. This Eco-Friendly Paper Battery is a commendable innovation.
The scholar is from the Department of Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur. Her disposable as well as flexible battery can find a lot of use cases, such as great applications in bio-electric toilets. Moreover, one of the best advantages of the Eco-Friendly Paper Battery is that it is 100 per cent biodegradable as well as environment friendly and it is in this sense starkly different from chemical batteries.
The innovative green battery was presented by IIT Kharagpur’s ‘Team Electrodes’ at the KPIT Sparkle 2018. It won the first prize as well as an award of Rs 10 lakh. It emerged as the winner after competing with 12,000 students and their innovations across the country. The Award was decided by an international panel of judges and was based on the novelty, affordability, and commercial viability of the proposed idea. We wish Ramya all success in getting her innovation in the market.
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