Trash Power 3 - Zero CO2 African Battery

We developed this Zero CO2 battery for Africa. It uses waste aluminium to produce about 10 Watts and it can power a small light, your mobile phone or other USB device, it can charge up 4 'AA' cells and it can be connected to other TP3s to stack up the power for fridges, pumps etc.

This battery runs as long as you have waste aluminium and that means the energy is free.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Africa
• Power
• Zero
• CO2
• Battery
• Environment
• Climate
• Change
• Free
• power

[JackTSunn]

Sorry men, i was having a nap. So, let's get this straight. In Mauretania there are boys collecting aluminium cans and getting a dollar for a 50kg sack. They are surrounded by junk aluminium and they don't have any lights in their shelters. Frankly, I think the aluminium is best used to make power and then sold as hydroxide ($400/ton). The UN think that provision of light is the most important first step to getting civilized. There are pluses and minuses in any battery technology.

[JackTSunn]

This battery is free in use. It produces no CO2. Most Al is made without producing CO2. Maybe my critics can offer their ideas for us to have a look at.

[JackTSunn]

Oooba!

[PKMartin]

@JackTSunn: what? "Most Al is made without producing CO2."? No it isn't. Aluminium is produced by electrolysing molten rock. That takes quite a lot of electricity, which emits quite a lot of CO2 when generated.

Some aluminium is produced using geothermal electricity, but the rest uses mostly fossil-generated power. This is a neat design but to call it "Zero CO2" is willfully ignorant. My ideas? Renewable energy.

[MarlinBOSA]

It's quite novel, but I don't think those that have little or no access to conventionally created electricity are going to have any 'waste aluminum' around.

The value of 'waste aluminum' just as a bulk item is surely higher than the cost of the equivalent electrical power that this device creates in the process of consuming a similar amount of aluminum.

[PetrFM]

@JackTSunn Did You ever read anything about aluminium production ?

Fact that this is produced by electrolysis using hydropower from dam does not mean that there is no CO2 produced. In reality in the process of electrolysis graphite electrodes are used. Their oxidation produces massive amounts of CO2 !!!

Moreover - waste from your batery is toxic !!

[johnnnyreb51]

silly people.

[MrWreeve]

@JackTSunn Aluminum requires huge amounts of energy to refine. Reevaluate your assumptions.

[2camjohn]

@JackTSunn Al uses a lot of energy to refine.

Waste aluminium has value because of all the energy put in to refining it.

If you could find a metal thats easier to refine, or harder to recycle this may have some potential.

(get it? potential!!!)