Cocktails to Power up Your Batteries

Denise F

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Can alcoholic beverages really become our future source for power? Can scientists develop new Ethanol based batteries?

The most frustrating thing is when you are talking away on your cell phone and you get that annoying message that your battery is dying out. If you don’t have an immediate source to recharge your battery, then you are pretty much out of luck!

So think of this scenario:

You’re at a bar with friends, enjoying their company. You get an important call that you just can’t miss. So you do the logical thing… answer it! Lo and behold, in the middle of the conversation, your phone beeps to tell you that you have minimal power left.

What to do?

Just reach over and take a spoon full of your Long Island Iced Tea, and pour it into a specialized fuel cartridge and BAM! You have enough power to talk on your phone for a month!

But, how realistic is this?

A group of researchers from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri have begun developing a new Ethanol powered battery. Their invention known as SEBC (Stabilized Enzyme Biofuel Cells) is currently being developed and tested. Once fully materialized, this new SEBC battery will not only provide consumers with a more convenient and longer lasting way to power up their electronic devices, but will also be doing their part to protect the environment.

Consumers in this day and age are extremely dependant on electronics for their day to day living. Traditional alkaline, lithium, NiCD and NiMH batteries rely on heavy metals and toxic chemicals to create the electrical charge that powers up your laptops, cell phones, PDA’s, iPods, and hand held devices. They are limited in the amount of times that they can be recharged, and most importantly must be properly disposed. Currently, properly recycling the mass numbers of batteries that are used by consumers is also a feat.

Biofuel Cells work by converting oxygen and hydrogen, which produce water, into electric energy. Although it is true that some biofuel use pure hydrogen as fuel, these can be dangerous due to their explosiveness. However, using alcohols that are corn based, like ethanol are more stable. Creating batteries that will work with off of this type of fuel have the capability of being cheaper and most importantly, longer lasting.

Although these batteries would be a viable asset to consumers, there have been some road blocks. These types of alcohols are extremely sensitive. The do not react well to changes in temperature or pH levels, and can become inactive after short time periods. Until now, bio-batteries have not lasted more than a few days. However, they are researching ways on how they can overcome this obstacle.

Hopefully one day soon, we can simply say “Bar Tender, Pour Me a dink!” – And our worries of power will be washed away!

** Photograph borrowed from www.wildflavors.com

Cocktails to Power up Your Batteries

Cocktails to Power up Your Batteries

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