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How zinc batteries could power the sustainable economy

<p>What might it take to get zinc batteries offsetting some of the demand on lithium-ion?</p> <p>According to a <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.26599/NRE.2022.9120039" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> in <em>Nano Research Energy,</em> a few avenues of research look set to make rechargeable zinc batteries efficient and long-lasting enough to be competitive.</p> <p>If you want to store electricity, lithium-ion batteries are <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/long-live-the-power-of-lithium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generally the most powerful</a> and <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/precious-metal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy dense option</a>.</p> <p>But lithium isn’t a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/lithium-ion-battery-supply-chain-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">super-abundant metal</a>, and it’s very reactive: lithium-ion batteries need <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/battery-fire-lithium-ion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">elaborate safety systems</a> to lower the risk of fires.</p> <p>As battery demand soars, to shore up the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/energy-crisis-escape-transition/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">transition to renewable energy</a>, researchers are looking for alternatives to lithium.</p> <p>“Zinc has a strong battery track record, having been used as anode material as early as 1799!” says co-author Dapeng Liu, a battery researcher with the Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology at Beihang University, China.</p> <p>“Zinc-based battery technology already accounts for one-third of the world battery market.”</p> <p>Zinc can be used in a range of different types of battery – including <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/new-charge-for-old-battery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">zinc-air batteries</a>, which are currently available as small disposables, rechargeable <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/flow-battery-china/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flow batteries</a>, or rechargeable non-flow zinc-bromide batteries.</p> <p>Zinc-based batteries are typically cheaper than lithium-ion, and carry a much lower fire risk.</p> <p>But while their performance has much improved over the past decade, they’re still not good for commercial rechargeable batteries yet. They’re not very energy-dense, and they have shorter life cycles.</p> <p>According to the researchers, there are a few areas of chemistry that should be focused on to improve this.</p> <p>First, say the reviewers, the anodes and cathodes of zinc batteries need to be developed so that they don’t deplete as much over time. They think that changing the surface of the anodes (interface modification), and alloying the zinc with other materials and additives, will yield the best results.</p> <p>Next, better <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/next-big-thing-catalysts-can-change-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">catalysts</a> are needed to speed up zinc-air batteries’ reactions, making them more efficient.</p> <p>Finally, the researchers suggest that new electrolyte mixtures can improve battery performance.</p> <p>“Rechargeable zinc-based batteries have a long way to go before large-scale application in the mobile, power, and other electronic equipment markets,” conclude the researchers in their paper.</p> <p>A zinc-bromide battery factory opened in Australia in late September. Operated by <a href="https://gelion.com/gelion-launches-australian-battery-manufacturing-facility/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gelion</a>, a renewable energy company that spun out from research at the University of Sydney, the facility is currently capable of making two megawatt hours of batteries per year.</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=227531&amp;title=How+zinc+batteries+could+power+the+sustainable+economy" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/zinc-batteries-improvements-needed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on Cosmos Magazine and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

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Are you getting enough zinc?

<p>A hundred years ago, zinc was abundant in many soils. Nowadays, most soils in the world are zinc deficient, except for soils predominantly from biodynamic farms. This means that, where once fruit and vegetables, and even grain-based foods such as breads and cereals, provided us with a small, steady top-up of zinc, the zinc levels in many of the foods we eat today are inadequate to avoid deficiency.</p> <p>Zinc is a superstar of a nutrient. It contributes to hundreds of processes inside your body, plenty of which are reflected on the outside. Zinc is critical for wound healing. Whether a cut on your finger, the place where a surgical incision was made, or the aftermath of a pimple, zinc is necessary for the skin involved in these traumas to heal and it helps to prevent scar formation.</p> <p>Zinc is also required for proper immune system function, as well as for the maintenance of vision, taste and smell. It is essential to the creation of over 300 enzymes necessary for you to have great digestion: the foundation of all health. Zinc even nourishes the scalp, helping to maintain the integrity and strength of hair, and low zinc levels have been linked with hair loss and a dry, flaky scalp.</p> <p>If you have a teenager at home with smelly feet that don't seem to get any better no matter how many times they wash them, it's likely to because of a zinc deficiency. Zinc is used in the production of sex hormones, and so when sex hormone production soars in teenage years, their requirements for this mineral skyrockets. A zinc deficiency may be the underlying cause of sex hormone imbalances in adults, contributing to lowered testosterone, PMS, fertility challenges or monthly breakouts.</p> <p>The recommended dietary intake (RDI) for a nutrient is the amount required to prevent a deficiency, not the amount needed for optimal health and great energy and vitality.</p> <p><strong>The RDIs for zinc across each age group are:</strong></p> <ul> <li>1-3 years: 3mg</li> <li>4-8 years: 4mg</li> <li>9-13 years: 6mg</li> <li>Boys: 14-18 years: 13mg</li> <li>Girls: 14-18 years: 7mg</li> <li>Men 19+ years: 14mg</li> <li>Women 19+ years: 8mg</li> <li>Pregnant women: 10–11mg</li> <li>Lactating women: 11–12mg</li> </ul> <p><strong>These days, our only real food sources of zinc include:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Food sources (per 100g)</li> <li>Oysters: 48mg</li> <li>Beef: 7mg (when cooked)</li> <li>Lamb: 3mg (when cooked)</li> <li>Eggs: 1.2mg (1 egg = 0.5mg)</li> <li>Seeds: 7mg (2mg per 30g serve)</li> </ul> <p>From looking at those food sources you can see that, realistically, we would probably need to be eating oysters every day to obtain enough zinc to avoid deficiency. But who eats oysters that often? So, if we look at bee, the next one on the list: for a woman to meet her minimum requirements, she would need to eat at least 800g of cooked beef a week. Men would need almost 1.5kg of cooked beef per week to meet their minimum needs.</p> <p>Yet, not only is this not practical but it isn't even advisable. Why? Well, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), one of the most evidence-based cancer research groups in the world, shares that to decrease the risk of colorectal cancer, we need to eat less than 500g of red meat per week.</p> <p>So how on earth are we supposed to get our zinc these days? The answer is that most of us aren't. Many people today are not getting enough of this vital mineral that is responsible for the taste and texture of food. It may be contributing to why young children today tend to be fussier with food than in the past.</p> <p><strong>Some signs of zinc deficiency may include:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Poor blood glucose management</li> <li>Sugar cravings</li> <li>Loss of appetite</li> <li>Poor resistance to infection</li> <li>Skin infections</li> <li>Easy skin scarring</li> <li>Lowered fertility</li> <li>White spots on finger nails.</li> </ul> <p>Zinc can be supplemented and, if it is, it is best taken before bed to maximise absorption.</p> <p><em>Written by Dr Libby Weaver. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

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