Sustainable Sodium-Ion Batteries from Wood Industry By-Products: The Thuringian Forest Battery

Overview

Researchers in Thuringia innovate with batteries that use wood by-products. They use the biopolymer lignin from wood pulp as the key. The team builds sodium-ion batteries. They favor sodium over lithium because sodium is common and local. This project, ThüNaBsE, seeks safe, eco-friendly, cost-effective energy storage.

Why Sodium-Ion and Lignin?

• Sodium-ion batteries use common materials. They avoid the need for lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
• Lignin is normally burned for energy in paper mills. Its structure gives useful hydrocarbons.
• Scientists convert lignin into hard carbon. They make electrodes that work well and last long.
• The team also tries to cut or remove fluorine to boost safety and protect the environment.

Project Details and Partners

• Fraunhofer IKTS and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena lead the project. They work at the Center for Energy and Environmental Chemistry (CEEC) in Jena.
• The Free State of Thuringia and the European Social Fund provide funds.
• An industry board joins in. It includes Mercer Rosenthal GmbH (which supplies lignin), Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH, IBU-tec advanced materials AG, EAS Batteries GmbH, and Petrochemical Holding GmbH.
• Junior researchers gain support for their energy and battery studies.

Technical Approach

• The process heats lignin in an inert gas. This step forms hard carbon for the negative electrode.
• The team uses non-toxic iron-based Prussian Blue analogs for the positive electrode. These materials store sodium ions and guard the environment.
• Fraunhofer IKTS builds small demonstrator cells for early tests and checks.

Significance and Impact

• The work makes recyclable, resource-efficient batteries using bio-based materials.
• It cuts the need for rare raw materials and boosts energy independence.
• The project moves the energy transition forward with cheaper, safer, and greener storage options.
• Local industry and universities join to drive regional growth and science.

The ThüNaBsE project takes a close, word-by-word approach. It relies on strong links between ideas to build a clear, eco-friendly plan. The project may change energy storage with wood-derived battery innovations.

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