There are many different batteries to choose from if you need one to power your application. However, lithium-ion batteries, LIBs, have found widespread use in the electronic industry because of their low weight, small size and high energy density. They are the most common type of battery used to provide electricity to electronic devices such as laptops, telephones, tablets and power tools.
But due to the rise in environmental protection awareness, scientists are proposing a switch to sodium ion batteries. So what is the difference between lithium ion batteries and sodium ion batteries? Lithium ion batteries have dominated this industry for years.
However, despite their usefulness in various contexts, they have significant limitations. The high cost of lithium, which is required in the production of lithium ion batteries, is the primary disadvantage of these types of batteries. In addition, only relatively small quantities of lithium are dispersed across the planet.
This increases the cost of transporting batteries from one location to another during the manufacturing process, which is detrimental to business and the environment. Sodium-ion batteries are one of the most recent rechargeable batteries to hit the market in recent years. Their research has been ongoing for decades before they were finally brought to the market.
Because sodium is far less expensive and can be found in much greater quantities, these batteries are an excellent substitute for lithium-ion batteries. One ton of sodium costs only $150, but one ton of lithium is over $20,000. The fact that lithium cannot be extracted in its elemental state also presents one of the primary challenges faced by lithium-ion battery producers.
Before it can be used, it must be isolated from the other components. This procedure causes significant damage to the surrounding environment because it involves using very hazardous chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. As a result, the industry is looking into different ways to lessen the impact.
Even though sodium ion batteries appear to be a promising alternative, the technology behind them is still in its infancy stage. The energy density of sodium ion batteries is not quite as high as it used to be. quite as great as that of lithium-ion batteries, and they do not retain their charge for nearly as long after each charge as lithium-ion batteries do. Compared to lithium-ion, sodium-ion is cheaper and has a lighter environmental footprint. This makes it a more attractive option.
There is a possibility that sodium-ion batteries will one day replace lithium-ion ones. On the other hand, they are not devoid of issues of their own, and probably they will never completely replace lithium-ion batteries in their immediate functionality. But what exactly is a lithium-ion battery?
The lithium-ion battery is the most common type of rechargeable battery used in portable electronics. It is a rechargeable battery that can be charged multiple times. It consists of four primary components altogether. The capacity of the battery and its voltage are both determined by the cathode, which is also the source of the lithium-ions.
The Lithium ions are stored in the anode when the battery is charged, and the anode is the part of the battery responsible for allowing electric current to pass through an external circuit. The electrolyte, made up of different salts, solvents and additives, acts as a conduit for lithium ions to travel between the cathode and the battery's anode. The final part of the battery is called the separator, a physical barrier that keeps the cathode and anode in their respective compartments. What exactly is a sodium ion battery?
A sodium ion battery performs its tasks analogous to a lithium ion battery, except it carries charge using sodium ions, Na+, instead of lithium ions, Li+. This is one of the most promising potential substitutes for lithium ion batteries. It has a substantially less carbon footprint and is significantly more cost-effective than mining and producing lithium ions.
Since they were originally brought to light in the 1980s, sodium-ion batteries have garnered significant attention due to the excitement surrounding their potential to serve as a more cost-effective alternative to lithium battery technology. There is a lot of interest in sodium-ion batteries as a potential supplementary technology to lithium-ion batteries due to the uneven worldwide distribution, severe environmental effects, and high cost of many of the required materials. Lithium-cobalt- copper and nickel are necessary for lithium-ion batteries. However, sodium-ion batteries do not require these components. Consequently, the manufacturing of sodium-ion batteries may be less expensive than the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries.
Why is there a demand for alternate battery technology to lithium-ion batteries? The availability of lithium is restricted. Suppose you want to travel 300 kilometers on a single charge with an electric vehicle with a battery of 90 kilowatt hours of capacity. In that case, you will need around 6 kilograms of equivalent lithium.
There are approximately 1.2 billion vehicles currently operating on the roads throughout the world. Hence, there will be a demand for 1.44 billion kilograms of lithium. if 20% of these automobiles were transformed into fully electric vehicles.
Even though this does not cover all of the other applications of lithium-ion alternative batteries, such as energy storage for electrical grids and portable electronics, it is abundantly evident that the quest for alternative high-energy batteries produced from materials that are both inexpensive and easily accessible is of the utmost importance. Mining for lithium requires large amounts of water. In addition, the production of lithium batteries requires a significant amount of resources. More than half of the world's supply of lithium is buried beneath salt flats in South America, sometimes called the Lithium Triangle. Mining for lithium requires 500,000 gallons of water for each ton of the material, and the Lithium Triangle is a region that encompasses portions of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.
Some of these locations are already highly arid. and comprise deserts, making this a significant problem. The extraction of minerals in this area has used up more than half of the available water supply, devastatingly affecting the agricultural sector of the economy.
The extraction of lithium is also not an environmentally friendly procedure. Lithium extraction has severe negative consequences on the surrounding ecosystem and the water it comes into contact with. Harmful compounds like hydrochloric acid can make their way into the water supply.
Even in places like Australia and North America, where more conventional mining methods are utilised, it is challenging to dispose of and manage the chemicals produced by mining operations. Research has shown that mining operations in Nevada can affect fish populations up to 50 miles downstream from the actual mining activity. Mining for lithium results in contamination of the air, the land and the water supply.
There is also no benefit to recycling lithium batteries. Recycling lithium-ion batteries is one technique to help reduce some of the negative consequences that are caused by the mining of lithium, however it is an inefficient process that consumes much energy. On top of that, recycling lithium-ion batteries is not a practical solution because sufficient research has been done on the topic.
Some battery chemistries contain rare and toxic chemicals like cobalt. a metal mined in Central Africa, and have been highlighted as an example of conflict minerals due to human rights violations at mines from countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo , earlier versions of potential competitors to lithium-ion batteries. Zinc was one of the first elements that researchers looked at as a possible replacement for lithium, and as a result, engineers and scientists have been hard at work developing lithium substitutes. Zinc is a stable element that is also quite affordable. It is also quite abundant in nature.
However, lithium is far more effective. Hydrogen batteries are still another option to consider besides lithium-ion batteries. They are inexpensive while also being kind to nature.
However, using hydrogen fuel cell technology to replace lithium-ion batteries is impossible because hydrogen is highly combustible and expensive to store. Therefore, a long-term conversion to hydrogen fuel cells may pose a risk to the health and safety of the people responsible for constructing the cells. Based on these, lithium-ion batteries will continue to be the most popular choice for various applications, including grid storage and electric vehicles.
On the other hand, the depletion of lithium reserves and the damage caused to the surrounding ecosystem by lithium mining will require attention. So, What are the key differences and similarities between lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries? Cost.
The commercial availability of sodium-ion batteries is still not well established, even though it is anticipated that the cost of sodium-ion batteries will be cheaper than that of lithium-ion for around 30% of the time. Performance. Compared with sodium-ion batteries, the performance of lithium-ion batteries is significantly higher. Lithium possesses superior electrochemical characteristics and is more efficient at transmitting energy than other metals. The great performance of lithium-ion batteries makes them particularly well suited for use in portable electronic devices that can often be recharged, such as mobile phones and laptops.
Because of this, customers tend to favour them above other options. Size The size of lithium-ion batteries is significantly less than that of sodium-ion batteries. They cannot hold as much electrical charge as their volume because they have a lower energy density.
To store the same amount of energy as a lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery would have to be far larger than its equivalent made of lithium. Safety Recently, a lot of attention has been paid to the safety concerns surrounding lithium-ion batteries because of the risk of fire and explosion if the batteries are not handled properly. Compared to lithium-ion cells, sodium-ion batteries have a safer chemical makeup, making them less likely to suffer from these failures.
Well that's all from this video. Which of these technologies do you think is better? See you at the next one!