The global coronavirus pandemic has harmed billions of individuals. There is no way of knowing when it will stop wreaking damage while it is still going on. In today’s world, wearing face masks and following other safety requirements is the best way to be safe.
Have you ever wondered what happens to face masks and other medical waste after they’ve been thrown away? Are they recycled or are they simply burned (producing harmful gases)? The globe is already dealing with pollution issues brought on by our continued reliance on fossil fuels. The never-ending mound of medical waste particularly used face masks will exacerbate the situation.
There is, however, a long-term answer. Researchers at Russia’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS) claim to have developed a method for converting medical waste (such as face masks) into flexible, low-cost batteries. Household, industrial, and other uses are possible because they offer greater benefits than ordinary metal-coated batteries.
“To create a battery of the supercapacitor type, the following algorithm is used: first the masks are disinfected with ultrasound, then dipped in ‘ink’ made of graphene, which saturates the mask. Then the material is pressed under pressure and heated to 140°C (conventional supercapacitor batteries require very high temperatures for pyrolysis-carbonation, up to 1000-1300°C, while the new technology reduces energy consumption by a factor of 10),” said Professor Anvar Zakhidov, scientific director of the infrastructure project ‘High-Performance, Flexible, Photovoltaic Devices Based in Hybrid Perovskites’ at NUST MISiS.
“A separator (also made of mask material) with insulating properties is then placed between the two electrodes made of the new material. It is saturated with a special electrolyte, and then a protective shell is created from the material of medical blister packs (such as paracetamol),” he added.
Pellet batteries made with a comparable technology previously had a capacity of 10 watt-hours/kg. This has recently increased to 98 watt-hours/kg, resulting in increased energy density and electrical capacity. The energy capacity was enhanced to 208 watt-hours/kg by adding nanoparticles of inorganic perovskite of the CaCo oxide type to the electrodes.
When graphene is added, the electrical capacity increases from 1000 to 1706 farads per gram, which is significantly higher than the best-carbonized non-graphene electrodes.
When graphene is added, the electrical capacity increases from 1000 to 1706 farads per gramme, which is significantly higher than the best-carbonised non-graphene electrodes.
The scientific team hopes to use the new technology to make batteries for electric cars, solar power stations, and other applications in the future.
