Storing energy with eggshells

For the first time, a research group successfully uses eggshells as an electrode for energy storage

 

Biowaste in the form of chicken egg shells proves to be very effective for energy storage. In the journal Dalton Transactions, of the Royal Society of Chemistry, scientists present the sustainable storage material that could make a low-cost lithium ion capacitor possible.

 

Chicken eggs are used worldwide in large quantities in the food, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries, and for household purposes. However, after the egg is used, the shells are discarded and disposed of as bio-waste in landfills. The shell consists of a composite of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and a protein-rich fibre membrane. “Surprisingly, there are always new examples in which natural substances have good to very good prerequisites for producing materials for electrochemical storage,” explains Professor Maximilian Fichtner from the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, a KIT-supported institution.

 

Together with his Australian colleagues, Fichtner discovered the promising electrochemical properties of chicken egg shells, which are able to store lithium well due to their high CaCO3 rate. The fine eggshell powders are used as an electrode against a metallic lithium anode in a non-aqueous electrolyte. Thereon, the cell maintained an excellent capacitance retention of 92% over 1000 cycles. Both the calcified shell and the shell membranes, including the inner and outer membranes, were used from the egg shells. The researchers washed, oven dried and crushed the shells to a powder and obtained a conductive material.

 

Egg shell waste has been used in a number of applications, including bioceramics, cosmetics and the dye industry. At the same time, the protein-rich, fibrous egg shell membrane has functioned as a separator in supercapacitors. Biowaste has now been used as an electrode for the first time worldwide. Further research and a detailed understanding of the electrochemical and physical behaviour of the material is needed in order to improve its performance and to enable its widespread use.

 

 

Bio-waste chicken eggshells to store energy.

Minakshi, M.; Visbal, H.; Mitchell, D. R. G.; Fichtner, M.

2018. Dalton transactions, 2018 (47), 16828–16834. doi:10.1039/c8dt03252a

Weitere Events

Zur Eventübersicht

Quantum & Space Day: Quantum processes important for batteries

October 7, 2025 Quantum & Space Day on October 7, 2025 (3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) Ulm's quantum year "quant.ulm.2025," under the patronage of Mayor Martin Ansbacher, culminates in the "Ulm Quantum Festival" from October ... Learn more

HighMag – Magnesium-based Battery Project

August 24, 2025 HighMag – High-energy, low-cost and scalable generation 5 magnesium-based batteries for mobility applications and beyond - "HighMag" is funded though the EU’s HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-02- call and has been granted 5 million ... Learn more

HIU Biennial Meeting 2025

July 29-30, 2025 On July 29 and 30, 2025, the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) hosted its "Biennial Meeting 20252 at the N27 building of Ulm University, bringing together around 130 scientists and researchers in t... Learn more

Cluster of Excellence POLiS extended

May 23rd, 2025 Battery research funded for another seven years Celebrations in Ulm, Karlsruhe and Giessen: The joint battery research network  Learn more

200 Years of KIT: Information Trip "Alternative Drives and Mobility of the Future"

January 29th, 2025 In 2025, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of the oldest technical universities in Germany, will celebrate its anniversary: ​​200 years since the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School was founded. Under the motto ... Learn more