China Turns Liquor Waste Into Battery Power With 91.9% Retention After 100 Cycles

The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) transformed baijiu waste by-products into sodium-ion battery anode materials through successful research efforts. The innovative technology developed by researchers demonstrates potential for future energy storage solutions by maintaining 91.9% capacity throughout 100 charge cycles.

Baijiu, a colorless, high-proof Chinese liquor, leaves behind sediment after distillation. This waste material, which used to be animal feed or fertilizer, has demonstrated its potential as a sustainable resource for battery production. Professor Liu Xingquan at UESTC used sediment from Baijiu distillation to create improved anodes for sodium-ion batteries, which solved major performance problems.

Sodium-ion batteries lead the market as a safer and more economical alternative to lithium-ion batteries despite their current market dominance. The larger size of sodium ions requires anodes to possess bigger internal pores than what is needed for lithium-ion batteries. The present standard hard carbon exhibits poor charge efficiency and shows progressive structural degradation. The researchers pursued baijiu sediment from Wuliangye, which operates as a leading liquor manufacturer, as their new alternative.

The sediment received multiple processing steps, starting with washing and drying before acid leaching and carbonization and ending with sodium hydroxide removal of silica. The research team produced HC-1100Si-1, which demonstrated excellent performance in sodium-ion batteries by achieving 281.5 mAh/g capacity at a 1C rate. The sodium-ion cells demonstrate performance levels that match the needs of applications needing regular charging cycles even though they fall below commercial lithium-ion battery specifications.

The application of this sustainable by-product as a replacement for conventional tar-based hard carbon provides an environmentally friendly energy storage technology at reduced costs. The research group works to increase manufacturing capacity, which might transform the sodium-ion battery market.