The Aluminum-Air Battery

Project number: 
21089
Sponsor: 
UA Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Academic year: 
2020-2021
Project Goal: Explore the viability of aluminum-air batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles are a promising alternative to gasoline-powered cars because their operation results in reduced fossil fuel emissions. However, producing the vehicles causes more pollution than producing gasoline-powered cars. This is mainly because of the high environmental cost of mining lithium and producing lithium-ion batteries.

One potential solution is the aluminum-air battery, which has a life cycle that generates fewer emissions. The aluminum ore is much more abundant than lithium and is closer to the earth’s surface. A limiting factor for widespread use of aluminum-air batteries is that they typically are not rechargeable.

To examine its viability in terms of operating voltage and power density, this team developed a primary aluminum-air battery with a nonaqueous AlCl4-/KCl ionic liquid electrolyte.

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