GS PAPER II: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context: This woman-run startup Nexus Power uses crop residue to create bio-batteries, fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles.

• Some of the main concerns associated with the EV sectors were long charging time, high prices, and a paucity of local sources to procure lithium, and toxicity.
• According to a report by The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in November 2020, a total of 5, 30,560 EVs (two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, and buses) were sold in India.

Biodegradable batteries

• The biodegradable batteries are fashioned from crop residue.
• A cell consists of three structural elements – the cathode, anode and electrolyte.
• The process of manufacturing plays with the chemistry of the cell and builds all these elements with nanodot proteins derived from crop residue.
• The batteries charge eight to 10 times faster than conventional ones and last 20% to 30% longer.
• Most importantly, once the batteries die, they can be recycled at no extra cost, which is not the case with the regular EV offerings.
• Made out of bio-degradable material, the cells rule out toxicity hazards and using crop residue ensures that some of it is not burnt, which in turn protects from deterioraton of air quality. So entire process is energy efficient and sustainable.
• These batteries are lithium ion-free.
• The materials used at Nexus are derived from natural compounds, which are either underutilised or wasted by other industries.
• Procurement of crop waste helps the farmers in earning an additional income of ₹25,000 for every 100 batter The manufacturing process has been designed to ensure no element of the environment is exploited.
• The production of these batteries creates bio-fertiliser as by-products, which get returned to the market to facilitate a favourable agricultural yield.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/nexus-power-odisha-startup-bio-batteries-from-crop-residue-nikita-and-nishita-baliarsingh/article34474655.ece?homepage=true                   

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