Awareness of environmental issues among both young people and adults is growing around the world. As we face the threat of climate change and its detrimental effect on our planet, an increasing population is concerned about how their actions affect the environment and participate in movements focused on saving Earth.
The 2021 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey from PwC revealed that half of the consumers surveyed worldwide said that they have become more eco-friendly, while its 2023 survey shows that eight out of ten consumers are willing to pay up to 5% more for sustainably produced goods.
In comparison to 2019 survey results, where 35% of respondents said they chose sustainable products, 37% said they looked for environmentally friendly packaging, and 41% said they avoided plastic use when they could, 2021 survey results showed percentages ten to 20 points higher response to the same.
A sustainable lifestyle is becoming increasingly important for consumers across the globe, who also want companies and brands to be more sustainable and eco-friendly.
This change in behavior is a good thing, given that around 2 billion tonnes of industrial waste are produced annually globally. Not only is industrial waste responsible for about half of all the waste but only about 2% of it is actually recycled.
The primary cause of industrial waste is byproducts from a wide range of different processes, including metalworking, chemical manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and oil and gas extraction. Improper practices to manage waste can further generate even more industrial waste that impacts the environment negatively.
However, with the growing awareness among consumers, along with more countries focusing on effective waste disposal and the demand for industrial waste management solutions rising rapidly, the global industrial waste management market is projected to grow to $1.79 billion by 2032. The emergence of new technologies and the types of waste generated are becoming more complex, which are also contributing to this growth.
In the US, the Industrial Waste Management market is expected to grow even more, and it is projected to reach an estimated value of $323.81 billion during this period.
Besides waste management, researchers and companies are also exploring other ways to deal with waste, such as upcycling, product redesign, biodegradable alternatives, circular economy models, microbial solutions, and innovative recycling technologies.
Turning trash into treasure has been the latest endeavor of researchers. We recently shared how a Cornell research team extracted gold from e-waste and then used it as a catalyst to convert CO2 to organic materials.
A new study is now developing green batteries out of industrial waste and providing an alternative to batteries used in our devices like phones and even cars.
The batteries currently in use depend on metals like lithium and cobalt, both of which are sourced using invasive and intensive mining.
The growing adoption of electric vehicles, along with the rising need for e-bikes, consumer electronics, energy storage, power tools, and other battery-intensive applications, calls for a shift away from metal-based solutions and facilitate the green energy transition.
Utilizing Industrial Waste to Store Energy
With reliance on renewable and inherently intermittent energy resources increasing, a team of Northwestern researchers is advocating for growth in energy storage capacity to meet the demands of our grid, and for that, they have transformed an organic waste of industrial scale into an efficient storage solution that can provide sustainable energy.
The focus of the study was on redox flow batteries (RFB), which are rechargeable batteries explored due to their flexibility, scalability, and long cycling capabilities.
The market for redox flow batteries currently accounts for a small part of the battery market but is projected to grow from under $300 million in 2024 to well above $1 billion by 2033. This expansion will be driven by an increased shift to renewable energy sources, the need for reliable and large-scale energy storage solutions, favorable government initiatives, and continuous technological advancements to improve battery efficiency and lower costs.
Advances in RFBs make them a practical option for large-scale storage of energy, but they display low energy density.
In recent years, progress has been made in increasing the stability of Redox-active organic molecules (ROM), which are seen as promising candidates for constructing sustainable RFBs for large-scale energy storage. Most ROMs being evaluated, however, require a multistep synthesis, and there’s a limited availability of starting materials that obstruct their application.
Then there’s the fact that anolytes often lack stability. Anolytes are used in RFBs, where they go through electrochemical reactions that produce power and store energy. The type of anolyte used in RFB can affect its capacity, reversibility, and stability.
So, Northwestern researchers went on to make use of an industrial waste-derived organic compound as ROM for Nonaqueous RFB (NARFB) applications. While many iterations of these batteries are being researched for grid-scale applications, this use of waste organic material marks the first in the field.
The waste molecule is triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), a well-known industrial waste byproduct of thousands of tons, which is generated each year through various organic industrial synthesis processes. The chemical byproduct that is chemically stable and has limited applications is left useless and needs to be carefully disposed of.
The unutilized side product, which has no value, is only tolerated due to the impressive reactivities shown by its precursor, triphenylphosphine (TPP).
With support from Northwestern, DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, researchers, however, were able to turn this waste into a valuable product through a “one-pot” reaction. The resulting solution showcases strong promise as a way to store energy, giving way to feasible waste-derived organic redox flow batteries.
“Our discovery showcases the potential of transforming waste compounds into valuable resources, offering a sustainable pathway for innovation in battery technology.”
– Lead author Christian Malapit, a Northwestern chemist and an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
He pointed out how engineers and materials scientists dominate battery research, but as their research demonstrates, synthetic chemists can also “contribute to the field by molecularly engineering an organic waste product into an energy-storing molecule.”
Not as popular as traditional lithium or solid-state batteries, which store large amounts of energy in liquid or solid electrodes respectively, redox flow batteries utilize a chemical reaction that facilitates energy’s flow between electrolytes to store energy.
The latest discovery makes RFBs highly beneficial given that they make use of an organic molecule and can achieve high stability as well as high-energy density, which is getting closer to metal-based competitors.
These two particular parameters, according to first author Emily Mahoney, who’s a Ph.D. candidate in the Malapit lab, have been “traditionally challenging to optimize together,” but now that they have demonstrated them for a waste-driven molecule, it is simply “exciting.”
However, achieving both energy density and stability requires coming up with a way that allows electrons to pack tightly together without losing storage capacity over time. The research team found their strategy from a paper from half a century ago that described the electrochemistry of phosphine oxides, a functional group in organic chemistry.
The study was actually the “first instance” of using phosphine oxides as the redox-active component in battery research.
Reduced phosphine oxides have been traditionally highly unstable, but the molecular engineering approach of the latest study addressed that instability, hence “paving the way for their application in energy storage.”
Now, to assess the performance of the molecule, the researchers then performed tests using static electrochemical charge and discharge experiments. After going through 350 cycles of battery charging, usage, and then recharge, the team found that the battery maintained its remarkable health and only lost negligible capacity over time.
Experiencing no capacity fade for 350 cycles, the study concludes, positions “this molecule to lead the field, attributed not only to its impressive performance but also in resource sustainability.”
When it comes to redox flow batteries, besides the use of industrial chemical waste triphenylphosphine oxide for energy storage, other research ranging from innovative membrane design, using DMQA as an electrolyte material, and adjusting Hirshfeld charge of TEMPO catholytes are also contributing to RFBs advancement.
Other Industries Wastes Powering Battery Tech
While an important breakthrough, this study isn’t alone in utilizing a common industrial unrecycled waste into a useful product; over the years, several studies have made use of waste to make battery technology better.
This includes using steel slag, which is a byproduct of steel manufacturing and has been explored for energy storage materials. In one study, researchers created green structural supercapacitor cells (SSCs) with steel slag powder (SSP) and glass powder (GP) that exhibited good multi-functionality of strength and areal capacitance.
In yet another study, researchers examined the thermal performance of steel slag and found it to be a sensible heat storage material. Na2CO3 activation allowed them to increase the material’s heat storage capacity by over 25% and heat conductivity by over 32%.
The use of the steel industry’s biggest waste byproduct isn’t limited to research, though. Even the world’s second-largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal, tested the byproduct as thermal energy storage within the steelmaking process to cut the use of fossil fuel for heat. The company actually utilizes Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag to make about 30 new products, which are used to build roads and fence posts, as a raw material for cement, and for sewage filtration.
Steel slag, coal ash, and mine tailings, among other materials, are also being utilized for durable carbon storage. The CO2 storage potential of industrial byproducts is estimated to be between 2.9 and 8.5 billion tonnes per year by 2100, depending on the industrial waste production.
Fly Ash is another material that is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants and is being explored for battery anodes. Researchers from Saudi Arabia made use of fly ash carbon as an anode material for alkali metal-ion batteries, which showed relatively high capacities and excellent cycling stability. In a separate study, researchers went on to realize the high additive value of the byproduct by transforming it into nanostructured silicon powders and applying them as anode active materials for lithium-ion batteries exhibited good electrochemical performance.
Unutilized biomass and waste materials that are generated during energy production can also be effectively utilized to create carbon materials for energy storage devices like batteries, solar cells, and supercapacitors. Besides making use of the waste, it removes the difficulties surrounding the safe recycling of waste ingredients and the consumption of fossil fuels.
Carbons derived from biomass are formed by converting plants and animal waste into porous carbon materials through artificial processes. The resulting structures, with their relatively high conductivity, surface area, and porosity, make them excellent candidates for energy storage applications, especially supercapacitors.
With carbon materials used widely in supercapacitors as electrodes due to high porosity and specific surface area, biomass carbon further stands out for its wide source, low cost, high power density, extended cycle life, and less pollution.
Scientists are even using plastic waste to make high-performance battery anodes for the next generation of batteries. A team of Singapore scientists developed a way that involves breaking down chemically linked molecules into shorter ones to make polymer electrolytes from waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles.
Then there’s the recycling of old lithium-ion batteries, which enables the recovery of cobalt, lithium, and nickel and their reuse in new energy storage systems.
The vast majority of the world’s lithium (Li) supply occurs in nature as a primary product in brines and hard-rock ores and is mainly found in Australia, China, and Latin America. Cobalt supply, meanwhile (less than 10% of which occurs as a primary product and the remainder produced as a byproduct of copper and nickel mines), is dominated by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which accounts for 65% of global production.
So, recycling the components of old batteries not only reduces waste but also the need for new raw material, which, while abundant in supply, faces the issue of resource-intensive mining and limited geographical distribution.
Relevant Public Companies
Now, let’s take a look at the companies that are making advances in related industries.
1. Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC -3.56%)
A global provider of energy storage solutions, Fluence aims to drive the clean energy transition through Gridstack Pro, Gridstack, Sunstack, Edgestack, and Ultrastack. There’s also the Fluence IQ Platform, which delivers AI services to manage and optimize renewables and storage.
Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC -3.56%)
The $3 billion market cap Fluence Energys shares, as of writing, are trading at $16.56, up 4.28% YTD. It has an EPS (TTM) of -0.08 and a P/E (TTM) of -219.92. For the quarter ended September 30, the company reported revenue of $1.3 bln and positive net income of $67.7 million for the first time. The quarterly order intake was $1.2 billion, while the backlog increased to approximately $4.5 billion. Its cash position, meanwhile, was $518.7 million.
The “highest ever revenue and profitability,” CEO Julian Nebreda noted to be “a significant milestone in the company’s growth trajectory.” Looking forward, Nebreda stated seeing an “unprecedented demand for battery energy storage solutions across the world, driven principally by the U.S. market.”
2. Waste Management (WM -0.47%)
Focused on industrial waste recycling, Waste Management offers environmental solutions that include collection, recycling, and disposal services for residential, commercial, and municipal customers.
The $83.29 billion market cap Waste Management’s shares as of writing are trading at $207.53, up 2.84% YTD. It has an EPS (TTM) of 6.54 and a P/E (TTM) of 31.71, while the dividend yield is 1.45%.
Waste Management, Inc. (WM -0.47%)
For Q3 of 2024, the company reported an increase of 7.9% in its revenue thanks to strong execution on pricing, higher market prices for the recyclable commodities it sells, and a significant increase in landfill volumes. Waste Management has now completed eight recycling projects in the quarter, and more than half of its planned automation and new projects have contributed 1.5 million tons of annual recycling capacity across North America.
“Our strong results have been led by our Collection and Disposal business where our focused efforts on frontline retention, optimization of our cost structure, and providing differentiated service to our customers have fueled earnings growth.”
– CEO Jim Fish
Conclusion
Industrial waste is ever-growing due to rising population and technological advancement, and if not managed properly, it can cause deadly consequences. Besides air and water pollution, this waste leads to soil degradation, global warming, and damage to our ecosystem. Given that only a small portion of this waste is recycled, the latest discoveries that are transforming industrial waste into an energy storage agent are extremely beneficial for the environment and pave the path towards a sustainable and healthier future.
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