It’s an old battery. There’s no more juice left… Or is there?
Check out the latest research about the amazing power of old batteries!
In recent news, a headline caught our eye: “Old Laptop Batteries Could Bring Power to India’s Slums.” It’s a serendipitous case of reusing, recycling, saving energy, ingenuity and philanthropy all in one go. Now that is a truly incredible feat! So how is this possible?
Newsweek reports that IBM, a multinational tech company, has been conducting research into reusing old laptop batteries to prove sustainable energy to developing countries. Developed by India-based researchers at IBM, UrJar is a back-up power device that reuses old and discarded laptop batteries, which can ultimately be used to aid the approximately 400 million people in India who live without reliable and steady electricity, all the while addressing the issue of battery e-waste.
How? This device can extract the lithium-ion from old batteries, which researchers have found that a whopping 90% are still usable. According to IBM, “the operations of just one large multinational IT company resulted in more than 10 tons of discarded laptop batteries.” Not only does UrJar provide a solution to e-waste and a sustainable source of energy, it can also save money on the costly and lengthy process of recycling batteries. During testing in Bangalore, researchers found that approximately 70% of old batteries had enough juice left to power an LED light for up to 4 hours per day for a year!
Learn more about this amazing project here and here.
(Image via Pixabay)