Macro Environmental Effect of Micro Energy Harvesting
In recent decades, consumer products have become increasingly dependent on battery power. This shift has also been happening in new product categories like electric vehicles and smart infrastructure. Dependence on battery technology has led to an exponential increase in the mining of raw materials like lithium, zinc, cobalt and manganese. In recent years, mining as well as disposal of such massive quantities of metals have been increasingly polluting the environment. This article examines the brevity of the situation and argues that ubiquitous micro energy harvesting can be a promising solution to address the problem in a holistic manner.
Battery Waste Pollution
According to Business Insider, annual lithium output has more than doubled in the last 5 years; extraction of which has grave environmental consequences (1, 2). In Chile, Congo and Tibet, irreversible damage to the local ecology, water contamination and land degradation has forced hundreds of thousands of local community members to abandon their ancestral lands (15). At the same time, disposal of such a large number of batteries is turning into a major environmental challenge in recent years.
With 15 billion primary batteries disposed annually, we are polluting more than 0.3 million sq. km’s of land, which is approximately equivalent to the area of Germany (7).
A study conducted by researchers at the Australian National University (3) found battery disposal has extremely harmful effects in oceanic ecology. One primary AAA battery pollutes up to 400 liters of water and 20 square meters of land. And the ill effects of discarding batteries often go beyond environmental impact, every year more than 3500 cases of kids swallowing button batteries are reported in the US alone (9). These impacts will only get worse as our dependence on batteries increase over the years.
Development of smart infrastructure relies heavily on the ubiquitous presence of sensors often powered by alkaline single use batteries. Statista predicts more than 70 billion connected devices by 2025. Considering the fact that a battery requires 50 times more energy to produce than it can provide, it is of paramount importance to extend the lifespan of each battery we use.
Recent Sustainability Trends
Recent consumer trends and demands for sustainable products and services have started turning the tide. Globenews posits that customer loyalty will be highly governed by the company’s commitment towards sustainability (5). Modern consumers are even willing to pay a premium in exchange for lower environmental footprint (6).
A recent survey among a diverse group of individuals indicated that one third of them would be willing to pay 25% more than the original price for sustainable products. Gen-Z was found to be willing to pay 50 to 100% more compared to other age groups.
This has led to a flurry of research in responsible battery lifecycle management. One of the most common approaches is legal recycling frameworks across the globe (10, 11). Similar policies have been proposed by the Greens / EFA coalition of the European Union (16):
“A key industry that must ensure Europe’s transition towards sustainability are batteries. We need sustainability criteria for the production and (re-)use of batteries as well as a full recycling obligation for all batteries on the market. However, they are not particularly successful as is apparent from the meagre 5% battery recycling rate.” – Sven Giegold, EFA
However, academic research commissioned by the Greens / EFA found various reasons behind such a low recycling rate. The potential scope for the recycling of lithium can be complicated since the material is toxic, highly reactive and flammable. It tends to be incinerated or ends up in landfills due to very low collection rates and flawed waste legislation. Low collection rates, the low and volatile market price of lithium, and the high cost of recycling relative to primary production have contributed to the absence of lithium recycling (17).
Impact of Energy Harvesting
Another way to look at the problem is focusing on extending the battery lifespan instead of trying to improve recycling rates and processes. In certain consumer products and IoT implementations, energy harvesting with rechargeable batteries is a promising field which can significantly increase battery lifespan while reducing the total cost of ownership. Energy harvesting here refers to the efficient utilization of ambient energy sources like solar, temperature gradients, radio frequency and vibrations to power devices. Consumer electronics companies are recognizing this benefit and integrating energy harvesting in their product roadmaps:
“If not properly recycled, primary batteries can be very harmful to the environment. In order to reduce battery waste pollution from consumer electronics and IoT sensors, one should consider rechargeable units with longer lifespan. Integrating energy harvesting with rechargeable battery solutions can significantly reduce the environmental footprint as well as total cost of ownership.” – Gary Tu, Globals Sales, Changhong Electric
Not only does it help the environment by lowering the number of primary batteries being discarded but also by lowering the volume of raw materials being mined because current batteries have a longer lifespan. Our long-term goal should be using natural resources efficiently with the least possible environmental footprint.
One example of this is the ubiquitous and unsuspicious remote control. There are currently more than 2 billion TV remotes around the world (8). According to Sony, an average TV remote control battery lasts less than 6 months (13), which is equivalent to 4 billion primary batteries discarded annually. This number is even higher when one includes remote control for other appliances like air conditioners, music systems etc. In many of these cases, careful implementation of energy harvesting can extend the battery lifespan indefinitely thereby eliminating the need for batteries replacement. Leading TV remote manufacturers like TW Electronics have already started to work along the lines not only to reduce the environmental footprint but also improve consumer experience:
“TV Remote controls are nearly always powered by primary batteries but we see an increasing demand request towards rechargeable solutions in recent years. To be environmentally friendly is at the top of the want and needs list for every major operator in Europe and North America. At TW Electronics, we are working on multiple projects to reduce the carbon footprint of consumer electronics in the near future. Energy Harvesting is one of the promising approaches to reduce environmental pollution caused by battery waste. It also provides a better consumer experience by eliminating the need to periodically replace or recharge batteries.” – Andy Hopkins, Sales Director, TW Electronics
A similar environmental benefit can be achieved when we consider the case of electronic shelf labels (ESLs). An average grocery store carries roughly 30,000 items at any given time (14). Considering a 3 year typical lifespan of ESL batteries, this means, about 10,000 batteries are discarded annually by your local supermarket. On a global scale, the ESL market is projected to grow beyond $2B by 2025 (12), which roughly translates to more than 500 million units sold. With the right energy harvesting solution, a typical ESL battery lifespan can be extended beyond the lifespan of the ESL itself. This has an enormous environmental impact in the long run.
Moving away from consumer electronics, a major positive impact can be achieved by incorporating energy harvesting in the IoT space. It is more desirable to utilize naturally occurring ambient energy to power a remote sensor instead of bringing power to it via cables or replaceable alkaline batteries. Statista projects 21.5 billion IoT sensors by the end of 2023, which roughly translates into as many extra primary batteries. With an average marketed battery lifespan of 5 years, we are going to replace and discard more than 4 billion batteries every year. With energy harvesting, one can vastly reduce the number of batteries discarded, thereby positively impacting the world ecology. The image below provides a combined environmental benefit of integrating energy harvesting in the above discussed cases.
As is apparent from the image above, widespread adoption of energy harvesting can have a significant positive impact on the environment and total cost of ownership. There are different methods to lower our environmental impact like efficient recycling techniques, new manufacturing methods, choice of sustainable materials etc. Energy Harvesting is one of the promising approaches to address this issue from a holistic manner.
Energy harvesting not only reduces the number of batteries ending up in landfills but also lowers the volume of mined raw materials thereby improving the entire value chain.
Major battery manufacturers have identified the importance of clean energy and positively impacting the entire supply chain. Panasonic Environment Vision 2050 states —
“To achieve a better life and a sustainable global environment, Panasonic will work towards creation and more efficient utilization of energy which exceeds the amount of energy used, aiming for a society with clean energy and a more comfortable lifestyle.”
One can only imagine the scale of environmental and other benefits achieved when we can effectively harvest and utilize the ambient energy around us.
By Eng. Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio, and Roy Anirban, Director CSR, Nowi B.V.
Sources
- https://www.businessinsider.nl/building-electric-cars-how-much-pollution-versus-gas-powered-vehicles-2019-11?international=true&r=US
- https://www.businessinsider.com/world-consumption-of-lithium-2015-8?international=true&r=US&IR=T
- https://www-sciencedirect-com.tudelft.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S2212827116300701
- https://www.mpoweruk.com/recycling.htm#:~:text=World%20wide%2015%20billion%20primary,batteries%20have%20on%20the%20environment.
- https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/01/10/1686144/0/en/CGS-Survey-Reveals-Sustainability-Is-Driving-Demand-and-Customer-Loyalty.html
- https://sgbonline.com/consumers-willing-to-pay-up-for-sustainability/
- https://www.mpoweruk.com/recycling.htm
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/268695/number-of-tv-households-worldwide/#:~:text=Data%20gathered%20on%20the%20global,the%202019%20to%202020%20season.
- https://www.childrenshospitaloakland.org/main/swallowing-button-batteries.aspx
- https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/reducewaste/batteries
- https://www.intertek.com/energy-storage/eu-battery-directive-services/
- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/electronic-shelf-label-market#:~:text=The%20electronic%20shelf%20label%20
- https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00025645
- https://www.fmi.org/our-research/supermarket-facts
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328399896_Socio-environmental_impacts_of_lithium_mineral_extraction_Towards_a_research_agenda
- https://sven-giegold.de/en/action-plan-green-transition-chemical-industry/
- https://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/13_factsheet-lithium-gb.pdf
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