{"id":93944,"date":"2021-08-24T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-24T05:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=93944"},"modified":"2021-08-18T10:42:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T08:42:03","slug":"batteries-made-from-trees-could-help-transform-the-future-of-electric-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/batteries-made-from-trees-could-help-transform-the-future-of-electric-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Batteries made from trees could help transform the future of electric travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"Finnish<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Finnish designers\u00a0Stora Enso<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0have built a new production facility costing \u20ac10 million that will create renewable bio-based carbon by turning trees into batteries. This will be achieved by the use of a wood-based material called lignin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plant is based beside the company\u2019s Sunila Mill in Kotka, southern Finland, which employs over 150 people and specialises in producing softwood pulp, and biofuels like tall oil and turpentine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is responsible for developing a number of wood and\u00a0biomaterial-based solutions<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for everyday problems that require eco-friendly solutions. Their innovative product offerings range from mouldable woods to formed fiber\u00a0food packaging<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is lignin and how is it formed into batteries?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Stora
The tree powder is pressed into strips as a substitute for non-renewable graphiteStora Enso<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not to be confused with the Swedish berry, lignin is nature\u2019s second most common macromolecule after cellulose, deposited in the cell wall of plants to make their structure firm and woody to prevent them from rotting. It makes up around a third of all wood\u2019s total composition<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stora Enso have been long-term investors in sustainable research and development funding with investments of \u20ac140 million last year. Confidence levels are high that the carbon contained within the non-toxic material<\/strong><\/a> can be used to replace the fossil fuels and mined metals found in our lithium-ion batteries, which usually require graphite to function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lignin is separated from wood during the production of cellulose fibers from its pulp. It\u2019s then refined into a lightweight carbon powder which is made into electrode sheets and combined with other battery components<\/strong><\/a> in order to replace graphite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company has been producing lignin industrially at Sunila Mill since 2015. Their annual production capacity is 50,000 tonnes, making Stora Enso the world’s largest producer of kraft lignin. Expanding lignin into its own production quarters, along with patenting the technology under the title Lignode\u00ae<\/strong><\/a>, cement Stora\u2019s intentions for a future of smarter battery travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the advantages of tree-sourced battery technology?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Stora
The \u20ac10 million lignin production facility is an extension of Stora Enso’s current biomaterials mill in Kotka, FinlandStora Enso<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The anode in traditional lithium-ion batteries is made from graphite which is formed through a chemical reaction in unrenewable carbon compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for Tesla to meet its production targets of 20 million electric cars annually, it would need to mine over 1 million tonnes of graphite<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost all portable electronics are now powered by lithium-ion batteries. There are some concerns that engineers can\u2019t make future commitments to them as means of powering larger machinery, such as aeroplanes, due to their capacity to overheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was most poignantly evidenced by the infamous thermal overheating incident on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner\u2019s flight from Washington to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris<\/strong><\/a>, though Boeing maintains there is no inherent safety risk to large automotive batteries used in this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stora Enso has outlined five key benefits to transitioning to their renewable Lignode energy technology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scalability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n