02/22/2012

Argentina Produced Lithium Battery Science Cordoba

In October, the country will develop this technology on an industrial scale. Scientists at the UNC lead the ambitious project.

Lithium is the gold in the coming decades. Computers, cell phones, used cars, and used batteries in this metal.

Argentina has the raw materials in the salt mines of the Puna. It has the world's third largest reserves. Cordoba has the knowledge to transform it into batteries.

"The province will be the great center of the development of lithium battery in the country along with La Plata," says Daniel Barraco, researcher and physicist who coordinates the research and development project for the production of batteries.

The group consists of researchers from the faculties of Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics and Chemical Science, National University of Cordoba, and the Universidad Nacional de La Plata and the National Atomic Energy Commission.

It also intervenes Sol.ar fledgling company, which has capital of Cordoba. The lithium-ion battery will be produced in the provinces where the lithium is extracted (Jujuy, Saltaand Catamarca). The electronics could be produced in Cordoba.

"In October approved will produce batteries for notebooks. In four years will produce batteries for cars, "said Barraco.

The project has strong momentum of the National Government. Involved the Ministries of Industry, Science and Economics.

Already begun the process to buy a plant to produce batteries. "What was done in the laboratory is the lithium battery pack for PC or phone. This means that we cathode, anode and electrolyte, "said Barraco.

Of lithium of the salars must be obtained lithium carbonate to 99 percent concentration. Then perform the different pastas that go into the batteries.

Purification

In October, domestic batteries will be produced with purchased pulp. Next year is expected to produce pasta in Argentina and later obtained the lithium concentration in the salt mines of the Puna. This is another project to build a pilot plant for purification.

The brine ton costs 300 dollars a tonne of lithium carbonate concentrate, six thousand dollars. A car battery 10 kilos, 10 thousand dollars. "In 2020 there will be 200 million cars on batteries. It is a multimillion dollar business, "said Barraco.

He adds: "The idea is to develop a clean technology that allows us to understand the processes of remediation after extraction. It also offers insight into the price control to collect royalties from foreign companies. "

While lithium extraction has less environmental impact as gold, the goal is to avoid what happens to this activity, which pays royalties low and fails to remedy the sites after the operation.

Reference: http://largebattery.blogspot.com/2012/02/argentina-produc...

02/18/2012

Carbon Nanotubes for Better Batteries

The so-called smart phones are the vice of the day, and the market moves a lot, a lot of money. With how expensive they cost, the industry had better give us users a quality service, and scientific research is the only means available to invest in advanced technology. One of the weaknesses of smart phones is the energy they consume. Its batteries give rough with its usability, but from the MIT have an interesting solution to contribute.


This is a new method of energy storage in batteries last generation, much more effective than involving current and advanced nanotechnology. In particular, carbon nanotubes.

Nanotubes, in growing popularity for many years, are arranged as battery positive electrode and the negative electrode comprises lithium and titanium oxide. These batteries provide power to the speed of trainers, and they are able to store more energy than
lithium batteries available today.

In addition, carbon nanotubes are actually proved resilient, with a test of 1000 cycles of loading and unloading without involving a wear on the batteries.

This is good news not just for smart phones, but also to any electronic device that works with batteries, for everything that involves energy saving in this sense, means better performance.

02/17/2012

Blue Car, Amazing Electric Car, Is Launched on the Road

The electric car's blue Bolloré Group, with its lithium metal polymer and its 250 km of autonomy, has been approved. It remains to perform road tests and find a builder. This ambitious project launched in the 1990s continues to advance and could result in a model sold in 2009.

Designed by Philippe Guédon in partnership with the Bolloré Group and Matra Engineering, Blue Car is at first a clever and stylish electric car. No longer a Austin Mini (3.30 meters), it is wide (1.72 meters), high (1.61 meters) and modular. Three passengers can sit in the front and both rear seats fold to provide a large volume (900 liters). By lowering the passenger seats as before, there is 2.3 cubic meters.

It is under the hood and under the seats above the main innovation lies: a lithium metal polymer on which the engineers began work in 1990. Funded by the Bolloré Group, this research has led to a remarkable capacity battery, produced by the company Batscap (for "super battery capacity"), a subsidiary of the same group, with participation of EDF (5%).

This battery technology is different from that of lithium-ion battery models that have invaded the mobile electronics in phones, laptops and cameras. In this case, the ionic form of lithium is used. Its disadvantage is a risk of explosion, but is easily preventable by an electronic control. The lithium metal, it is downright dangerous. This metal (the lightest of all) reacts with water, in fact explosively. The use of polymers is able to render it harmless.

Any city clean

Batscap in the farm, the thin films consist of three elements: the anode (lithium metal foil), electrolyte (lithium salt included in a polymer, polyoxyethylene) and a polymer for the cathode. Studied since 1990, this process has been developed by Batscap and a Quebec company (Avestor), recently acquired by Bollore. In the Blue Car, lithium battery weighs 240 kg and reap 28 kWh, 117 Wh / kg (about three times the performance of a nickel metal hydride battery). The full charge takes four hours. They give the blue car excellent performance for an electric vehicle range of 250 miles, top speed of 125 to 130 km / h and acceleration from 0 to 60 km / h in 6.3 seconds.

This little car ideal for the city was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 and is now in the second version of the prototype. There are six copies. The Blue Car has just received approval and can drive on public roads in proudly displaying license plates. The testing phase has now begun road.

We will see again at the next Geneva Motor Show in the month of March, and the Bolloré group hopes to market from 2009. The last step is to find a manufacturer willing to venture into the supply.

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