Researchers at Swedish-Finnish, Europe's largest forestry company, have reportedly discovered an organic polymer that makes up about 30 percent of all trees, called lignin, that can be converted into hard carbon.

The resulting material, known as "Lignode," can replace graphite as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries.

Because lignin has hitherto been an undesired by-product of Stora Enso's paper mill industry, this is fantastic news for the company.

Head of Lignode Lauri Lehtonen stated, "Cost-wise we will be quite competitive, but it is the performance that is the most intriguing."

Lauri Lehtonen said that Hard carbons can transport you into areas that graphite cannot at high charge rates. The maximum time that graphite can last is 40 to 50 minutes, and you may increase that time by using a very expensive silicon to make it 20 minutes. However, [Lignin-based anodes] can achieve charge times of eight minutes.

Lignin ought to be more environmentally benign than graphite since it is one of the largest renewable sources of carbon anywhere.

To construct a sustainable battery, Stora Enso and Northvolt have agreed to work jointly. By 2025, commercial anode production is the company's goal.

Sand batteries are actually quite different from wooden ones. It's more like a heat storage device.

The BBC reported that it was placed in a 7-meter-high steel vessel at the Vatajankoski power station in Finland.

According to the Beeb, the battery was made from two central heating pipes, a fan and 100 tons of poor quality builder's sand.

Sand warms up as a result of the conversion of wind and solar energy into heat, which it then remarkably holds thanks to its properties and the surrounding insulation. The device, according to the creators, can withstand 500C for several months.

In times of greater energy demand, the sand battery can deliver 200kW of power via heat-exchange pipes, providing about 100 households and a public swimming pool in Kankaanpää nearby. Later, throughout the night when energy consumption is lower, it recharges.

Currently, it serves largely as a way of storing and dispersing heat because the process of turning heat into power only has a 30% efficiency rate.

Ultimately, for an e-bike, the quality of its battery is extremely important. Therefore, quality should be controlled in the process of making lithium-ion batteries.