Sony is looking to introduce eco-friendly batteries into the home. Weirdly, the company has looked to the wood-hungry termite for inspiration.
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| Credit: CNET |
They showed off the paper and cardboard powered bio-battery at the 2011 Eco-products exhibition held in Tokyo. An orchestrated demo showed an environmentally friendly water mixture powering a fan.
According to a CNET report, the company was inspired by termites and white ants that digest wood and convert it into energy.
The water mixture was mixed with an enzyme called cellulose, which was used to break down the paper into glucose sugar. The sugar was then processed by additional enzymes and oxygen into hydrogen ions and electrons, fuelling the battery.
The bio-battery has enough power to operate an mp3 player, but still lacks juice compared to the current batteries on the market. However, it does prove there’s potential in environmentally friendly batteries.
This isn’t Sony’s first attempt at generating battery power through bio-friendly materials, after giving sugar a go in 2007.
