Conversion of Harmful Algal Blooms into High-Performance Electrodes for Sodium-ion Batteries

Higher education and research

Higher education and research

Energy storage devices using sodium ions instead of lithium ions, offering lower cost and potentially replacing lithium-ion batteries in many applications.

A carbon material used as electrode material in sodium-ion batteries, traditionally derived from petroleum but can be created from biomass or harmful algal blooms.

These batteries are used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV).

Michigan

Ohio

Research project converting harmful algal blooms collected from Lake Erie into hard carbon electrodes for sodium-ion batteries through thermal treatment at 700–1,000 degrees Celsius in argon gas.

Electrode material for sodium-ion batteries produced by heating harmful algal blooms to 700–1,000 degrees Celsius in argon gas, offering a sustainable and low-cost alternative to petroleum-derived hard carbon.