These days it’s important to try and at least get a double life out of most things that can be recycled and if you can combine that with renewable energy then you’re on to a winner. MIT scientists have been working on a project that could turn hazardous waste into solar cells. In the journal, ‘Energy and Environmental Science’, researchers describe a method for making perovskite solar cells using the lead from recycled car batteries. Perovskite is a class of materials that has caught the interest of solar photovoltaic researchers as it has made rapid progress in improving the efficiency of solar cells in the past three years.
The problem that looms is dealing with the lead. Melting it down for re-use releases lead vapor and dust in high volumes which can cause health and environmental hazards. It is important to note in a perovskite solar panel, the lead-containing layer would be fully encapsulated by other materials, limiting the risk of lead contamination of the environment. MIT scientists have demonstrated the ability to synthesize perovskite solar material using the electrodes straight out of a used lead-acid battery. Lead from the anode is mixed with nitric acid and the lead oxide (made from the lead dioxide cathode) is mixed in acetic acid, then each compound is mixed with potassium iodide. The solutions are then purified and deposited on a thin flexible film, which acts as the substrate for the solar cell.
Its almost amazing to think that the lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households! 30! It’s because the thin film of photovoltaic material is just half a micrometer thick. Imagine how much lead is in landfill in car batteries around the world and how many homes could be at least be partially powered by these ingenious cells. As well as being a recycling mission, it could potentially create jobs and would reduce waste on the planet as well as saving the householder money on utilities. This discovery cracks open the photovoltaic technology market as Perovskite solar cells efficiency is almost on par with other traditional solar cells currently available with power conversion efficiency at over 15% to 19% have been achieved within 18 to 24 months of development according to MIT scientists.
What a fine example of thinking outside the box to reduce waste and make emissions free energy. Who says there’s no money to be made in sustainable energy?
Always questioning – C.Reyonlds
