Electricity From Onion Peels
Electricity From Onion Peels
  • Reporter Lee Jun-yong
  • 승인 2017.12.06 00:57
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Piezoelectric material can convert external pressure to electricity. If force is applied, the charges are separated into plus and minus charges, and due to the change in charge density, electricity flows. With the appropriate material, electricity can be produced efficiently, by applying it to humans, roads, or windmills to utilize movement and vibration. However, the problems were that the materials needed to create these elements were toxic, jeopardizing researchers’ health and the environment. They are also expensive.
Professor Kim Jin-kon (CE), Sandip Maiti (CE, Ph.D), and Professor Khatua (IIT Kharagpur) researched together to create piezoelectric elements created from the cellulose fiber in onion peels. The research team figured that the crystalline structure of the cellulose fiber could be used in piezoelectric materials, and focused on onion peels, one of the abundant sources of cellulose fiber. After the conduction of experiments, the team found out that the energy could be produced with onion peels, and successfully create a sensitive, efficient piezoelectric element that could produce electricity with the movement of a leaf.
Prof. Kim said, “We created a method of generating energy with natural materials, without damaging the environment.” He also showed his expectations, that “This research will be the groundwork for energy supplication methods of future devices, such as wearables.”