With the current oil crisis, it seems more likely that electric vehicles could become a given rather than a choice sooner than we think. Hemp batteries might be the way to go. It is no secret that the hemp plant very versatile is. It can literally be used for almost everything. In the beginning, it was sought after for the benefit of clothing and ropes. Later on, it was refined to paper and also biofuel. Now, by using discarded hemp fiber, it is used to build batteries with a focus on sustainable energy. When Henry Ford made his Model T car, it was partly done by using hemp bioplastic. It was also fueled with hemp biofuel. Today, battery-powered vehicles are becoming more popular. Hemp batteries are found to be eight times better than lithium-ion. This was proven in a small-scale test and the results are very promising.
The Supercapacitor Ability of Hemp Batteries
Electric chargers are stored in an electric component known as a capacitor. The electric charge is only charged here for a short time. But a supercapacitor has a higher capacitance than a standard electrolytic capacitor. They have a larger reservoir capacity that can dispense energy quickly to where it is needed. Supercapacitors are an important component when it comes to electric vehicles. In a technical manner, when there is an acceleration from a low speed, there is often a lack of kinetic energy in all vehicles, no matter if it is gas orientated or electric. An extra burst of energy is needed to accelerate. This is where supercapacitors come in.
A supercapacitor is almost like a capacitor on steroids. Graphene (a single atomic layer of carbon sheets) is typically used to perform as a supercapacitor. It is known to conduct heat and electricity with excellent sufficiency. It has a huge surface area for the capacity to store energy charges, and it gives you more charge to store on the surface. Supercapacitors, unfortunately, can´t store as much energy as batteries. One way to boost the energy density of supercapacitors is to make better electrodes. This is where hemp comes in as scientists believe that hemp could just be what they are looking for.
Conventional lithium-ion batteries store large amounts of energy. The problem is that it expends it slowly. Supercapacitors can release their entire load rapidly to provide high quantities of energy. It works together with the battery to get the energy and get the car going. Hemp batteries work as supercapacitors because it releases energy quickly and is not known for storing a big reserve of energy that a lithium battery would do.
How are Hemp Batteries made?
When it usually comes to make electronic parts, a lot of mining has to be done. The metals needed to make them are normally very deep underground. This obviously calls for huge investments. Using hemp changes the scenario a lot. The raw material of hemp is much easier to get to and also won´t cost an arm or a leg.
All that is needed to form the thin sheets of substrates that line the inside of a supercapacitor are the waste fibers from the hemp crop. The bark of the hemp plant gets converted into carbon nanosheets. Supercapacitors made from hemp work as effectively as industry-standard graphene material. To make it even better, it is environmentally friendly. Hemp bark normally ends up in landfills. But under the innovative eye of Dr. David Mitlin of Clarkson University, New York, the inner bark of the plant was cooked up and turned into carbon nanosheets. This process is called hydrothermal synthesis. By using waste material, graphene-like material is created for the fraction of the traditional amount needed. Hemp material is excellent for making large sheets with a high surface area. It is also stronger than diamonds and more conductive than copper.
The Cost Effectiveness of Hemp Batteries
With the focus on sustainability, hemp is right where it should be. Human rights often get abused in mining for deeply hidden minerals and metals underground. It is even more concerning when it comes to the continuous strive to find rare metals under extreme conditions when there are other viable alternatives. Using plant waste is not uncommon, especially in the energy sector. Bio-waste offers a very promising way for societies to promote sustainability.
Some Drawbacks to Overcome
Everything is not always as clear as it seems. There are more to be sorted out before it completely can replace a traditional battery. Supercapacitors are extremely useful over a broad spectrum, but they aren´t really a battery in the ordinary sense. They do not provide a long-lasting storing mode as lithium batteries would do. Hemp batteries provide temporary storage of a charge that could be harnessed quickly. At this point, hemp batteries cannot completely replace lithium-ion batteries. But with a continuous investigation, refinement might be just around the corner.