Techno-Economical Feasibility of Biocellulose Membrane along with Polyethylene Film as a Separator for Lead-Acid Batteries

Abstract

In this present investigation, we applied an eco-friendly bacterial cellulose (BC) membrane along with a polyethylene (PE) separator as a separator for lead-acid battery systems. The key factor of the research is to lower the cost of the lead-acid battery by introducing the BC membrane along with a thin PE separator. The specific surface areas of the BC membrane and the PE separator were 46.72 and 35.89 m2 g–1, respectively, with high porosity, which can enhance the electrolyte uptake and movement. The identified pore sizes of the BC membrane and the PE separator are 13.67 and 56.18 nm, respectively. The closely arranged microfibrils in the BC membrane with the smaller pore size can uptake a high amount of electrolyte, and it can hold it for a long period with the hydrogen interactions. In addition, the BC membrane and the PE separator exhibited higher thermal stabilities. The water uptake property of the BC membrane is 130% at 30 °C, which results in considerable electrolyte uptake. The ion exchange capacity of AGM, PE separator, and BC membrane are ∼0.0, ∼ 0.0, and 0.127 meq/g, respectively. The higher IEC is attributed to the presence of hydrophilic functional groups in the BC membrane, which increase the ion transportation in the membrane. The ion conductivity of the BC membrane is considerably higher than those of the AGM and PE separator. The charge and discharge performances of the AGM and BC-PE battery systems were analyzed using lead-acid battery cells. The exhibited discharge performances of both battery systems were considerably similar at 0.1 and 0.2 A discharge current. The final discharge capacities of the AGM battery and the BC-PE battery were 0.96 and 0.94 Ah, respectively, at 0.1 A under identical conditions. A considerable cyclic stability was observed in the BC-PE battery system during long-term operation. From our experimental analysis results, a cost-effective hybrid combination of a BC membrane along with a PE separator can be considered as an efficient separator for lead-acid battery systems.

Tuning the Ion Selectivity and Chemical Stability of a Biocellulose Membrane by PFSA Ionomer Reinforcement for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Applications

“…The arrangement of the cellulosic fibrils in the BC membrane was assumed to be the source of its high surface area and porosity. 33 Conversely, SSA data were not obtained for the BC−PFSA membrane, as shown in Figure 4b. This was attributed mainly to the lack of pores or void spaces, which in turn occurred mainly due to the reinforcement of PFSA into the pores, between the layers, and on the surface of the BC membrane.…”

“…In the spectrum of the BC membrane (Figure 2a), a broad peak appeared at 3342 cm −1 , which is attributed to the O−H stretching in the membrane. 33 The peak positioned at 2893 cm −1 is attributed to the aliphatic hydrocarbon C−H stretching vibration of the polysaccharides. Moreover, the peaks observed at 1314, 1161, 1108, 1054, and 1031 cm −1 correspond to the wagging vibration of CH 2 , C−O−C stretching, C−O bending vibrations, C−O−C skeletal vibrations, and C−O stretching, respectively.…”

“…Ecofriendly materials obtained from bacterial and plant sources such as chitosan, alginate, and cellulose have received significant consideration as proton-conducting membranes/separators for energy storage devices − and water treatment technologies . Among such materials, bacterial cellulose (BC) has attracted great interest because of its excellent flexibility, water holding capacity, high purity, renewability, biocompatibility, and thermal and possible crystalline properties. , The main attractive properties of the BC membrane are its (i) cost-effectiveness, (ii) superhydrophilic characteristics, which result from the abundance of hydroxyl groups on its surface, and (iii) environmental friendliness.…”

An Overview of Bacterial Cellulose in Flexible Electrochemical Energy Storage

“…Recently,R oh et al [34] verified the great potentialo fu sing a BC membrane in lead-acid batteries because of its higher electrolyteu ptakea nd enhanced ion transportation. These results indicatet hat the pure BC membrane, with intrinsically high thermals tability and good wettability towards liquid electrolyte, is ap romising alternative as thes ustainables afety-enhanced and cost-effective separator for the next generation energy storaged evices.…”

“…Recently, Roh et al . verified the great potential of using a BC membrane in lead–acid batteries because of its higher electrolyte uptake and enhanced ion transportation.…”