Yuli KOU1,2, Yuchao LI1,3, Jide WANG2, Yansong ZHAO1
1HVL, BERGEN, Norway
2Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
3Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, China
Abstract: Due to global energy issues and environmental problems, developing new sustainable green energy technology becomes more and more important. A new generation self-powered and charged free battery is produced in our laboratory, which is constructed by algae in culture solution as electrolyte, nickel sheet or graphic as a cathode, and aluminum sheet as an anode. This new generation self-powered and charged free battery can continuously work year by year without charge of battery. By analyzing the cell voltage and current measured by the acquisition system, light conditions to algae influence significant on the voltage of the microbial photovoltaic algae battery.
The experimental results in our laboratory showed that algae battery under the dark or light exhibited discrepant performance. During the day time, algae battery generates electrons based on the photosynthesis of algae, which are captured by the electrode material and generate an electric current to make LED continuously glow. When the light is gone, algae battery can use up the energy which not used end during photosynthesis of the day to generate electricity. The obtained algae battery can supply electricity and power LED for several months in a domestic environment under ambient light. This process doesn't require anything more than the regular addition of water to the algae battery. Algae batteries can achieve energy saving and environmental protection.
In order to make the algae battery have a wider operating temperature and improve its efficiency of the battery, a special ionic liquid was selected to used in the algae battery as part of the electrolyte. By adding the IL to the system, electron transfer driving force was enhanced without affecting the activity of algae. The output power density of microbial photovoltaic cells had a signally performance improvement compared with the original algae battery. In addition, electricity production and the mechanism of the cell were preliminarily investigated.
This work demonstrates how bio-energy from photosynthesis could be more efficiently harnessed in the future and the introduction of ionic liquids provides a good insight for broadening the practicability of biological self-powered and charged free batteries.
Keywords: algae battery; ILs; Photosynthesis.
Reference:
Yuli Kou, Yuchao Li, Jide Wang and Yansong Zhao. A self-powered and charged free ionic liquid electrolyte based algae battery. 2022 (under review)