ENEA is studying batteries made from rice husks, an agricultural waste product.

ENEA is conducting research on materials for batteries and supercapacitors obtained from rice husk (the outer covering of the grain), in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome and the Polytechnic University of Turin. Researchers are transforming the cellulose contained in the husk into nanostructured materials such as:

• carbon aerogel
• graphene quantum dots

These materials are being studied for use in the electrodes of batteries and supercapacitors, and the first results of this interesting circular economy research have been published in the journals  Molecule  e Journal of Energy Storage. 

The idea is interesting because the rice husk:

• it is a very abundant agricultural by-product
• It contains a lot of carbon, silica, cellulose and lignin
• it is cheap
• can be converted into conductive materials useful for energy storage.

La rice husk is normally considered one agricultural waste A byproduct of rice processing. When rice is processed in rice mills, the husk is separated from the edible grain and remains in large quantities. For every ton of rice harvested, approximately 20% of the husk is produced, which could be transformed from waste into a raw material for batteries and accumulators.

Cover photo from www.media.enea.it

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