Turning trash into useful fuel for the home. A simple method that can be used by many people who don’t have access to a lot of tools in the provinces.
Paper-Powered Battery by Sony & Stanford U Scientists
2012
05.13
05.13
Sony unveiled a paper-powered battery prototype in Japan last year during a fair. The technology generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar which in turn is used as fuel much like termites and ants eat wood and turn it into energy.
Learning from nature
The process works by using the enzyme cellulase to decompose the materials into glucose sugar. These were then combined with oxygen and further enzymes which turned the material into electrons and hydrogen ions.
The electrons were used by the battery to generate electricity. Water and the acid gluconolactone, which is commonly used in cosmetics, were created as by-products.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS
Sony’s engineers are not the only ones exploring the concept of paper-based batteries. In 2009, a team of Stanford University scientists revealed they were working on a battery created by coating sheets of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. They said their work might ultimately lead to a device capable of lasting through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles.
Both prototypes are still in research and development stage and would be a big welcome if they can indeed power our many electronic devices.
What would you do if you cannot fail?
2012
03.15
03.15
I found this intriguing question on a blog and had to post the same query here. What would I do if I could not fail? If success was ensured, what would I choose to do? What would you do?