8-Oct-2021: Novel composite materials developed for high-temperature battery and supercapacitors
Indian researchers have developed a thermally stable solid electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries for energy storage that promise application for a wide range of temperatures from 30-500 degrees Celsius.
Energy generation and storage is the need of the hour, and worldwide efforts are being invested for developing cost-effective, efficient options. The current state of art indicates a possible replacement of conventional low energy density, low shelf life batteries with Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion batteries. However, there are several scientific and technical limitations in the present technology, for example, dependence of liquid electrolytes and narrow range of operating temperatures. Therefore, efforts are required to develop solid-state energy storage devices.
In this direction, a group of researchers led by Dr. Anshuman Dalvi of Department of Physics, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus has developed solid-state energy storage devices in the form of thermally stable solid electrolytes for Li+ ion batteries and supercapacitors and tested their stability and efficiency using state of the art facilities. The establishment of the FIST program of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India supported XRD facility has given a new dimension to the ongoing research by providing them infrastructural support to investigate composite materials at high temperature with great resolution. This work has been published in the journal ‘Materials Research Bulletin in 2021’.
The team has used DST FIST-supported High-temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) facility Rigaku SmartLab, particularly useful for the thermal stability assessment of novel solid electrolytes. The XRD patterns were obtained in situ up to 500◦C. Now, the batteries and supercapacitors to operate at high temperatures are being developed.
The results from HTXRD patterns (technique used to study the structural changes in the material as a function of temperature) for the range 30-500◦C for the ionic liquid (IL) dispersed sol-gel derived NASICON( superionic sodium conductors) structured LiTi2(PO4)3 (LTP) composites indicated that IL does not react with LTP at higher temperatures to form unwanted compound. The composite was used in Lithium button cells. Excellent stability has been achieved under battery conditions. The composite promises battery application for a wide range of temperature.
Further, the samples are being used as electrolytes for electric double-layer (EDLC) supercapacitors. A high capacity of around 200 F/g and thermal stability at least up to 100◦C has been achieved for 10000 cycles. The EDLCs was used to power LEDs successfully. Efforts are on to fabricate EDLCs operating at 200◦C.
Dr Dalvi further elaborated, “Ionic liquid composites with NASICONs, Garnets, and some other fast ionic solids have been found to be promising for high-temperature energy storage devices. These devices are strategically important for military and space applications.”
17-Sep-2021: India’s first pilot plant to convert high ash coal to methanol can accelerate the country’s journey towards clean technology
India has developed an indigenous technology to convert high ash Indian coal to methanol and established its first pilot plant in Hyderabad. This technology will help the country move towards the adoption of clean technology and promote the use of methanol as a transportation fuel (blending with petrol), thus reducing crude oil imports.
The broad process of converting coal into methanol consists of conversion of coal to synthesis (syngas) gas, syngas cleaning and conditioning, syngas to methanol conversion, and methanol purification. Coal to methanol plants in most countries are operated with low ash coals. Handling of high ash and heat required to melt this high amount of ash is a challenge in the case of Indian coal, which generally has high ask content.
In order to overcome this challenge, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has developed the fluidized bed gasification technology suitable for high ash Indian coals to produce syngas and then convert syngas to methanol with 99% purity. BHEL has integrated its existing coal to syngas pilot plant at Hyderabad with suitable downstream process for converting syngas into methanol. This pilot-scale project with a methanol generation capacity of 0.25 metric tons per day has been initiated by NITI Aayog and funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under Clean Energy Research Initiative.
Currently, the pilot plant is producing methanol with purity of more than 99%. Scaling it up will help in optimum utilization of the country’s energy reserves and accelerate its journey towards self-reliance.
16-Sep-2021: A new method developed to convert poultry feather & wool waste to animal feed & fertilizer
Indian scientists have developed a new sustainable and affordable solution for converting keratin waste such as human hair, wool, and poultry feathers to fertilizers, pet, and animal feeds. India generates a huge amount of human hair, poultry feather waste, and wool waste each year. These wastes are dumped, buried, used for landfilling, or incinerated, increasing environmental hazards, pollution, and threat to public health and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. These wastes are inexpensive sources of amino acids and protein, underlining their potential to be used as animal feed and fertilizer.
Professor A. B. Pandit, Vice-Chancellor, Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai, along with his students, has developed a technology to covert the keratin waste to food for pets and fertilizers for plants. This novel technology is patented, easily scalable, environment-friendly, energy-efficient, and it will make amino acid-rich liquid fertilizers more economical as compared to currently marketed products.
They used advanced oxidation for the conversion of the waste to marketable fertilizers and animal feed. The key technology behind this involves pre-treatment followed by hydrolysis of keratin using a technique called Hydrodynamic Cavitation, which involves vaporization, bubble generation, and bubble implosion in a flowing liquid.
The current chemicals and physical methods for such conversion are energy-intensive, chemically hazardous, and involve multiple steps resulting in a higher cost of the final product. As calculated by the team, with this technology, the cost of the product at a large-scale plant, processing inputs of 1-ton per, is up to 3 folds cheaper than the existing market product.
The scientists are currently implementing this technology at a large scale in collaboration with Revoltech Technologies Private Limited, Gujarat. This advancement in production will make the liquid biofertilizers which are three folds more efficient than the marketed product, available to farmers at an affordable rate.