VIENNA, Austria – A new breakthrough from the Vienna University of Technology — regenerative oxygen-ion batteries — may transform the world of energy storage, with the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries in many key applications.
Lithium-ion batteries are among the most commonly used energy storage devices on the planet. However, these batteries have a number of problems, including frequent overheating that sometimes leads to fires and a tendency to lose effectiveness as they age.
Lithium batteries also have a substantial environmental impact, as one ton of lithium necessitates 2.2 million gallons of water to obtain through mining — which has a massive effect on the communities near the mines, such as Salar de Atacama in Chile, according to Azo Clean Tech.
Additionally, lithium batteries include materials made of copper, nickel, and lead, which are all potentially toxic. Improper disposal of lithium batteries can cause major environmental issues.
Oxygen-ion batteries, on the other hand, solve all of these problems.
According to a news release from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), oxygen-ion batteries don’t have the same aging issue that lithium batteries face, which means they can maintain effectiveness for an incredibly long period.
They can also be manufactured using incombustible materials and don’t require the same rare elements as lithium batteries, which means they won’t have nearly as substantial of an environmental footprint and won’t spontaneously explode if mishandled.
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