New invention harvests static energy from waste polystyrene to produce electricity
The invention comes from researchers at Australia's RMIT University and was developed in collaboration with Latvia's Riga Technical University.
Why it matters: Over 25 million tons of single-use polystyrene packaging is manufactured annually on a global basis. However, only a tiny fraction gets recycled, with the vast majority ending up in landfills after serving its purpose. Now, scientists have developed an ingenious way to recycle polystyrene – by converting its static electricity into usable power.
The invention comes from researchers at Australia's RMIT University and was developed in collaboration with Latvia's Riga Technical University. The main innovation is in fabricating patches made from multiple layers of polystyrene, with each layer being around one-tenth the thickness of a human hair. When air flows over these patches, it generates static electricity that can then be harvested and utilized.
Lab testing revealed the patches can produce voltages up to 230V, which is on par with typical household power levels, albeit at lower overall wattage. Faster, more turbulent airflows can also increase that number, while bumping up the number of polystyrene layers could expand the energy harvesting capacity.
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