Whoa: Beer Could Soon Be Used to Power Our Cellphones
No matter if you’re an Android or Apple fanatic, chances are that one of the biggest determining factors in your phone selection was battery life (and, you know, the likelihood of an explosion, which, we’re sorry to say, will make the iPhone 7 a disappointment in both departments).
As fixated as we all are on battery life, however, lithium-ion batteries are also a cause of great concern because of their negative impact on our environment. But scientists have just discovered a sustainable way to power the batteries that involves little more than a Bud (or Miller. Or Coors) Light…
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder recently discovered that their local beer breweries could be of great assistance in aiding them on their mission to find sustainable sources of power when they found that wastewater produced during the brewing process could actually be used to power lithium-ion batteries.
Their findings show that the wastewater is actually the perfect home for growing a fungus called Neurospora crassa, “which not only naturally cleans the runoff, but also creates one of the most efficient, naturally derived electrodes used in lithium-ion batteries,” explains Thrillist. High fives for science!
Not only is this a super cool new way to power cell phones, but it’s actually helping the environment to boot: You see, normally, the sugary remains from the beer-making process would have to be filtered before being disposed, which is not only costly, but less than ideal for our good ol’ friend Mother Nature. This new process would eliminate that need, going straight to the batteries instead.
Boulder’s Avery Brewing Co., for one, has come on board to help carry out more experiments, as the University of Colorado scientists pursue their findings in the hopes of scaling them in the future. In short? Beer-powered batteries could indeed be a thing (and soon!).
We’re totally on board!
How important is having a sustainable battery to you? Tweet us @BritandCo.
(h/t Hello Giggles)