Recycling packing peanuts to make better batteries

Packing peanuts have certainly been a great way to keep items being shipped from being damaged during the regular jostling and bumps that occur. They are also very cheap. But packing peanuts tend to be a pain to clean up, covering the floor as they do, not to mention their carbon footprint. Fortunately, according to Forbes, a way has been found by researchers at Perdue University to recycle the packing peanuts to make them part of lithium ion batteries of the sort that power smart phones and laptop computers.

The way it works is that the peanuts are heated to 700 degrees Celsius to break them down into tiny, carbon microsheets, about 50 times smaller than a human hair, 15 or so times smaller than microsheets now in use. These components are more efficient at holding a charge and are easier to manufacture. Batteries made with these microsheets made from packing peanuts would be able to last longer between recharging.

The barrier to bringing this new technique to market is that most of the manufacturing of lithium ion batteries takes place offshore. However, if an American-based company were to choose to get into the battery business, it would have a ready-made, plentiful and cheap raw material with which to manufacture a superior product.

Meanwhile, the Perdue researchers are developing other applications for their new technique. These include storage batteries for electrical grids, fillers for tires, and water filtration systems. The secret to developing recycling technology is finding such markets where recycled material can be used.