The material at the heart of the lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles, laptop computers and smartphones has been shown to impair a key soil bacterium, according to new research published online in the journal Chemistry of Materials.
The study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin—Madison and the University of Minnesota is an early signal that the growing use of the new nanoscale materials used in the rechargeable batteries that power portable electronics and electric and hybrid vehicles may have untold environmental consequences.
Researchers led by UW–Madison chemistry Professor Robert J. Hamers explored the effects of the compound nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), an emerging material manufactured in the form of nanoparticles that is being rapidly incorporated into lithium ion battery technology, on the common soil and sediment bacterium Shewanella oneidensis.
“As far as we know, this is the first study that’s looked at the environmental impact of these materials,” says Hamers, who collaborated with the laboratories of University of Minnesota chemist Christy Haynes and UW–Madison soil scientist Joel Pedersen to perform the new work.
NMC and other mixed metal oxides manufactured at the nanoscale are poised to become the dominant materials used to store energy for portable electronics and electric vehicles. The materials, notes Hamers, are cheap and effective.
“Nickel is dirt cheap. It’s pretty good at energy storage. It is also toxic. So is cobalt,” Hamers says of the components of the metal compound that, when made in the form of nanoparticles, becomes an efficient cathode material in a battery, and one that recharges much more efficiently than a conventional battery due to its nanoscale properties.
Hamers, Haynes and Pedersen tested the effects of NMC on a hardy soil bacterium known for its ability to convert metal ions to nutrients. Ubiquitous in the environment and found worldwide, Shewanella oneidensis, says Haynes, is “particularly relevant for studies of potentially metal-releasing engineered nanomaterials. You can imagine Shewanella both as a toxicity indicator species and as a potential bioremediator.”
Subjected to the particles released by degrading NMC, the bacterium exhibited inhibited growth and respiration. “At the nanoscale, NMC dissolves incongruently,” says Haynes, releasing more nickel and cobalt than manganese. “We want to dig into this further and figure out how these ions impact bacterial gene expression, but that work is still underway.”
Haynes adds that “it is not reasonable to generalize the results from one bacterial strain to an entire ecosystem, but this may be the first ‘red flag’ that leads us to consider this more broadly.”
The big challenge will be keeping old lithium ion batteries out of landfills, where they will ultimately break down and may release their constituent materials into the environment.
The group, which conducted the study under the auspices of the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology at UW–Madison, also plans to study the effects of NMC on higher organisms.
According to Hamers, the big challenge will be keeping old lithium ion batteries out of landfills, where they will ultimately break down and may release their constituent materials into the environment.
“There is a really good national infrastructure for recycling lead batteries,” he says. “However, as we move toward these cheaper materials there is no longer a strong economic force for recycling. But even if the economic drivers are such that you can use these new engineered materials, the idea is to keep them out of the landfills. There is going to be 75 to 80 pounds of these mixed metal oxides in the cathodes of an electric vehicle.”
Hamers argues that there are ways for industry to minimize the potential environmental effects of useful materials such as coatings, “the M&M strategy,” but the ultimate goal is to design new environmentally benign materials that are just as technologically effective.
Learn more: Lithium battery component found to harm key soil microorganism
The Latest on: Nanomaterials toxicity
[google_news title=”” keyword=”nanomaterials toxicity” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Nanomaterials toxicity
- Mom, 33, Disabled After Antibiotic Causes Toxic 'Floxing' Reaction: 'Like a Bomb Had Gone Off in My Body' (Exclusive)on April 19, 2024 at 7:28 am
Hailey Sebert is raising awareness about fluoroquinolone toxicity — the rare and sometimes debilitating side effects from a certain class of antibiotics Courtesy of Hailey Sebert Hailey Sebert ...
- Dropbox CEO believes that return-to-office mandates are toxicon April 17, 2024 at 1:05 pm
Dropbox (DBX) CEO Drew Houston revealed that he believes that the return-to-office mandates that many CEOs are trying to enforce upon their employees can foster a “really toxic relationship ...
- Top 8 Best Non Toxic Mattresses in 2024on April 16, 2024 at 5:01 pm
As a result, there’s been an increasing shift towards the use of non-toxic mattresses in recent times. Non-toxic mattresses are made from materials that are free from harmful chemicals that can ...
- Understanding Nanotoxicity: Assessing the Risks of Nanomaterialson April 16, 2024 at 9:53 am
As the use of nanomaterials increases in various industries, understanding and assessing their potential toxicity becomes crucial to ensure the safety of both humans and the environment. The schematic ...
- Expert Reveals the 5 Signs Your Workplace Is 'Toxic'on April 15, 2024 at 5:30 am
CEO, career coach and workplace expert Tiffany Uman has shared five signs that your workplace is toxic and that it might be time to leave. "I continue to hear too many horror stories of incredible ...
- 8 signs of a toxic work environment (and how to address it)on April 13, 2024 at 5:00 pm
A different Surgeon General’s report warned that toxic workplaces are harmful to workers’ mental and physical health, calling on organizations to become “engines of mental health and well ...
- 4 Signs Your Boss Leads With Toxic Positivity — And Avoids Real Problemson April 6, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Amber Lord, a content creator who offers “Millennial Hot Takes” on work, pointed out that most people experience at least one toxic boss during the course of their career. We all know the ...
- Drums of toxic chemicals found buried at LI park in community with history of cancer concernson April 5, 2024 at 5:54 am
Six large drums filled with toxic chemicals encased in concrete were discovered buried under a Long Island park in a community long plagued by cancer concerns, officials revealed this week.
- What's Really Happening In Corporate America: How To Address Toxic Leadershipon April 3, 2024 at 4:00 am
The concept of toxic leadership has been brought up many times over the past several years. The pandemic of 2020 gave birth to so many poor leadership behaviors and, as companies still struggle ...
- A Toxic Grass Is Spreading in the U.S., Threatening Livestockon March 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
What Made George Takei Write a Children’s Book About World War II? But the fescue these cows are eating is toxic. The animals lose hooves. Parts of their tails and the tips of their ears slough off.
via Bing News