For decades, lithium-ion batteries have been the darling of the tech world, powering everything from smartphones to electric cars. But despite their ubiquity, lithium-ion batteries have a major flaw: they’re just not sustainable. The mining of lithium and cobalt, two key ingredients in lithium-ion batteries, has devastating environmental and social consequences. And yet, many people assume that lithium-ion is the only game in town when it comes to battery technology.
Learn more: "The Clean Energy Breakthrough We've Been Waiting For: Hydrogen Energy Storage on the Rise"
Not so fast. Researchers are now looking to a humble material that’s been around for centuries: graphite. Yes, the same graphite used in pencil lead. It turns out that graphite has some remarkable properties that make it an ideal candidate for next-generation batteries.
One of the biggest advantages of graphite is its abundance. Graphite is one of the most common minerals on Earth, making up about 1% of the planet’s crust. That means that extracting graphite requires far fewer resources and generates much less waste than lithium-ion mining. And because graphite is a naturally occurring material, it’s also much cheaper to produce.
Learn more: Aiming for Zero: The Quest for Net-Zero Emissions and a Sustainable Future
But graphite’s benefits don’t stop there. It’s also an incredibly efficient material when it comes to storing energy. Graphite batteries, known as supercapacitors, can charge and discharge rapidly, making them ideal for applications like electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. And because they don’t use lithium or cobalt, graphite batteries are also much safer.
So why haven’t we seen a graphite-powered battery revolution yet? The answer is that graphite batteries are still in their infancy. But researchers are making rapid progress, and several companies are already working on commercializing graphite battery technology.
One company, Graphene Manufacturing Group, is using a proprietary process to produce high-quality graphite at a low cost. Another, Graphene Energy Storage, is developing a new type of graphite battery that can store up to 10 times more energy than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, sustainable energy, and resource depletion, the development of new battery technologies is more important than ever. And while lithium-ion will likely continue to dominate the market for the foreseeable future, it’s clear that graphite is the next big thing in battery technology.
