Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Biodegradable Battery and Electroluminescent Lighting Tile


Project Overview

Bio Batteries Alternative Energy

According to a study by Call2Recycle, 44% of people do not know where to recycle old electronics and batteries. This suggests that almost 50% of all electronics and batteries are not disposed of in a sustainable manner. Bio-batteries are one solution to this problem of excessive waste production. Bio-batteries are usually biodegradable and they contain materials that are not harmful to the environment. Research is currently being done to develop bio-batteries that carry out the same amount of charge as regular lithium batteries.

In this project, a bio-battery will be developed that is powered by sugar and encased in a biodegradable plastic casing. The goal of this project is to use this bio-battery to power a CeeLite LEC Panel that could be used in a biodegradable plastic tile to function as a lighting fixture that may be completely thrown away without harm to the environment. This particular bio-battery could be created in the home with products that are easily obtained either at home or in the supermarket, such as table sugar, water, agar flakes, and digestive enzyme pills.

This group plans to research the function of batteries and circuits, compostable and biodegradable plastic materials, previous bio-battery prototypes, and the waste management of these bio-batteries compared to regular lithium batteries.

The deliverables of this project include a 3-D printed prototype of the casing that would be theoretically created from biodegradable PLA plastic, a functioning bio-battery powered by sugar, and a biodegradable lighting fixture powered by this battery.


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