When we receive a packaged box to protect the product inside, it comes with small particles called polystyrene, which we can also find in other types of packaging. This material, which costs a lot to recycle, is still present in our daily lives, despite the fact that it began to be banned in many parts of the world almost a decade ago. A study has found a way to reuse it.
electricity generator. A group of researchers, from RMIT University in Australia in collaboration with the Riga Technical University in Latvia, has developed a device that generates static electricity using waste polystyrene with the passage of air. The invention could reduce energy consumption in applications such as air conditioners.
The project. Researchers have reused polystyrene to create a multi-layered patch the thickness of a human hair. The layers are compressed and separated to rub against each other and begin to generate static electricity, which causes the charges produced to align in a single direction. Finally, by passing air over the patch, it generates a current of static electricity that can be collected.
For this reason, the study group has estimated that it opens the possibility of taking advantage of the energy of air conditioning, reducing energy demand by up to 5%.
The tests. During the experiments, the device reached voltages of up to 230 V, although at low power this is an amount comparable to the home electrical grid for the study. The efficiency of power generation depends on air movement, being greater in areas of high velocity and compression.
In addition to its use in air conditioning systems, the patch could be installed in high-traffic areas, such as underground corridors, to supplement local power supply without increasing the load on the electrical grid. The durability of polystyrene ensures that these devices will maintain their ability to generate electricity for a long period of time.
Within the field of triboelectric nanogenerators. This TENG system (for its acronym in English) consists of the generation of electricity through the friction of two materials. The focus of the Australian project is based on the recycling of polystyrene and its ability to function stably over the long term. Although it is not the first time it has been applied, a group of Chinese scientists have created a device that collects energy from raindrops that fall on solar panels.
Image | RMIT University
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