Ecology & Battery Technology: Battery Technology: Eco20/20

Ecology & Battery Technology

First off, there are many who believe that battery technology hasn't really advanced that far over the past half decade or so. In that regard they'd be right. Not taking into account some very neat exceptions, batter power has continued to be created in ways that promote a non-green lifestyle.

But let's take a look at some of the exceptions that were brought up earlier. Believe it or not, ecology and batteries actually have a lot to do with one another. For those who still remember what they learned in high school, ecology is the scientific study of living organisms. So how can ecology and pollution generating old batteries be connected in any way?

Well obviously by using living organisms as sources of battery power. It's sort of like the idea to have a whole bunch of hamsters running on their wheels, only the wheels are somehow set up to make a spark, and the spark makes electricity and so on and so on. Rather than hamsters however, one of the ways that scientists have managed to combine ecology and batteries is the growing of corn to be used as gas. Rather than a car burning ethanol, it could safely burn corn instead. The problem with it is that the factories that convert corn into the needed energy produce a lot of carbon monoxide.

Another way that ecology has been, or will be, used to create energy (and therefore act as a battery) is by way of termite guts. Termites and bugs that eat canvas have been genetically engineered to emit enzymes that convert waste into fuel.

But all of that is only partially related to actual batteries (though if research permits these fuels could be compacted into types of batteries later on down the road). The real breakthrough in ecology and battery technology is Zinc-Air. These batteries are a combination of air and zinc. Free of pollution, these batters store electricity efficiently and were founded by PowerZinc Electric Inc.

Meanwhile a company called Electric Motorsport is selling electric motorcycles. The fastest these bikes can travel is about 65 mph. With a horsepower of 15, these bikes are a prime example that anything electric is automatically considered a part of the ecology/battery study as long as the batteries are made out of organics rather than metals and acid (so basically solar or air powered batteries as well). Which means that things like electricity assisted bicycles, mopeds, and cars could all reasonably fall into the same category as long as they were 'going green'.

Then of course, there's the study of the newest types of batteries that should be making their way onto the market as long as things continue to advance. College researchers have found a way to combine paper and silicone to create a biodegradable battery. And scientists in Israel have found a way to combine silicon and oxygen in such a way that they create a battery that has almost unlimited shelf life.

Nobody knows what sort of advances are waiting down the road when it comes to batteries and ecology. What's apparent is that while batteries may not be advancing very quickly on their own in terms of technology, the combination of both the natural and the chemical has produced some very high-tech results that promise even greater (and eco-friendlier) inventions in the future.