A new technique converts waste paper, from single-use packaging and bags, and cardboard boxes, into a crucial component of lithium-ion batteries. Exposed to high temperatures, paper is reduced to pure carbon, water vapor and oils usable for biofuel, and can be made into rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, medical equipment, and electric vehicles. The carbon anodes produced have demonstrated superior durability, flexibility, electrochemical properties, and could be charged/discharged up to 1,200 times, (at least twice as durable as anodes in current phone batteries), and withstand more physical stress than their counterparts. Less energy-intensive processes and heavy metals are used than in current battery anode manufacture. Low-cost waste material usage should lower manufacturing cost and reliance on conventional carbon sources (mined and processed with harsh chemicals and machinery).
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