Which trees can be the most effective, natural cathode for batteries?
Press release:
Beyonder and Trefadder have been awarded 2,79 MNOK from Regionalt Forskningsfond Rogaland to study different tree species, parts, and ages to identify the most promising material for activated carbon.
Anders Kristiansen from Trefadder and Kristinn Skofteland from Beyonder
Beyonder aims to meet the demand of the global battery market by developing sustainable batteries without the use of rare minerals such as kobolt and nickel. Beyonder´s patented process of transforming sustainable forestry residue into super-activated carbon makes it the world’s first truly sustainable battery cell technology. Using a wood-derived activated carbon cathode enables the Li-ion Capacitor (LiC) to operate at a higher specific power and be more durable than Li-ion batteries.
Identifying the most promising plants
The main goal of this project is to understand the relation between the type and part of the tree used and the internal structure of the resulting activated carbon to improve the specific capacitance of Beyonder´s activated carbon electrode. This project will help identify which trees are the most suitable for production of superactivated carbon needed for production of LiC batteries at Beyonder.
A greater understanding will be essential for large scale production and allow for process continuity and product uniformity, says Beyonder´s project manager, Dick van de Kleut.
Circular climate forest
Beyonder will collaborate with Trefadder to accomplish the objective of the project. Trefadder is a Norwegian company specialising in the capturing of carbon by planting new trees and climate forests. The added CO2 capturing capacity is guaranteed with a long term, 100% transparent, and traceable value chain.
We will provide the plant species from which Beyonder will produce activated carbon and evaluate their properties. We are pleased to see that Beyonder can utilise Trefadder´s extensive knowledge of Norwegian plants in this project. This is an opportunity to continue our long-term innovation work for the comprehensive utilisation of trees, says general manager in Trefadder, Anders Kristiansen.
Through forest management we remove trees that have not been given optimal growth conditions. These trees would normally be left in the forest to rot, but through the partnership with Beyonder, they may become raw materials in the batteries, providing both carbon capture storage as well as creating the world's first fully circular climate forest, Andersen says.
Based on the results from the first subset, the second subset of plants will be selected for Beyonder to measure. This will continue in an iterative process. Finally, the University in Stavanger, SINTEF, and CICenergiGUNE will characterise the best samples from the process to better understand the structural and chemical properties. Beyonder will use the results to optimise the production process of the activated carbon.
Increasing market demand
Beyonder is already experiencing substantial interest from the market. This project will directly help ensure that Beyonder’s LiC cells continue to lead the way in terms of high power and energy density. Furthermore, success for Beyonder and Trefadder will be an essential contributor to the green transition in Norway and abroad and will contribute to development of a multitude of new jobs.
Current batteries are made from limited resources and bring environmental problems associated with their disposal. We are very pleased that Regionalt forskningsfond Rogaland has recognised our technical expertise and the importance of our mission, Dick van der Kleut says.
The project shall commence from August 2021 and is expected to be finalised in July 2023.
From the left: Anders Kristiansen from Trefadder, Ugochukwu Kingsley and Dick van der Kleut from Beyonder
