Sony Newspaper Powered Bio-Battery - Generate Electricity From Shredded Paper!

Last week, at the Eco-Products exhibition held in Tokyo, Sony showcased their new eco-friendly innovation of converting the waste materials like newspaper or cardboard into electricity. They call it the 'Bio-Battery'. Once in the market, these bio-batteries can be used to power the cellphones in everyday life. Sony's Engineers are not the first to attempt this. Back in 2009, Stanford University Scientists were working on a similar concept that involved coating paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires to work as a battery.



In the exhibition, Sony demonstrated the working of this Bio-Battery by dropping a piece of paper into a liquid made up of enzymes and [enzyme cellulase], and then shaking it. This was connected to a fan that started rotating after a few moments. What actually happens in the background is, the enzyme cellulase decomposes the paper into glucose sugar, which is further combined with oxygen and enzymes to get converted into electron and hydrogen ions. These electrons are used to generate electricity.

Yuichi Tokita, Senior Researcher at Sony's Advanced Material Research Lab said,  "Using a 'fuel' as simple as old greetings cards - the sort of cards that millions of us will be receiving this Christmas - the bio battery can deliver enough energy to power a small fan." This definitely is an interesting idea for engineers looking at developing green projects in the field of electricity generation, since we all agree that it is a need of the hour. For the practical usage of this bio-battery, a lot more research is necessary, but it's great to see that the electronics giant companies like Sony are taking steps on the greener way. Posted in: #Coffee Room