Lithium-ion batteries inside our mobile phones.. |
The Lithium-Cobalt oxide which forms the anode in Lithium ion batteries that power most of our mobile phones, laptops and electric cars has two main components, Lithium and Cobalt. 80% of Lithium in the world is mined from the salt farms of Bolivia and Chile in South America, while 60% of the Cobalt in the world is mined from the Congo Republic in Central-South Africa.
Lithium-ion batteries inside our laptops |
Click here for an absorbing Washington Post article which exposes the high human toll in mining for Cobalt in Congo, Africa to sustain the fast growing mobile phones market in the Asian and western world.
Cobalt mine in Congo, courtesy Washington Post |
Going to the technology aspect of this technology, the highly cited Prof Peter Bruce from Dept of Materials, Uty of Oxford is a global expert in battery technology and is talking on the strengths and limitations of Lithium ion batteries.
Click here for a youtube video where Prof. Peter Bruce talks on the potential and limitations of Lithium ion batteries ..
Hope this talk will be a mind opener for people who are unaware of the challenges of the battery future of the world, opened by the world of miniature electronics led by the mobile phones technology.
If you are reading this article from a laptop (500g of Cobalt) or a mobile phone (10g of Cobalt) or an electric care (10 kgs of Cobalt), probably part of the Cobalt for that battery made it's way from Congo. Let us remember the silent suffering people of Congo who are compromising the quality of their life, longevity and health for our comfort and well-being.
George..
Hope this talk will be a mind opener for people who are unaware of the challenges of the battery future of the world, opened by the world of miniature electronics led by the mobile phones technology.
If you are reading this article from a laptop (500g of Cobalt) or a mobile phone (10g of Cobalt) or an electric care (10 kgs of Cobalt), probably part of the Cobalt for that battery made it's way from Congo. Let us remember the silent suffering people of Congo who are compromising the quality of their life, longevity and health for our comfort and well-being.
George..
No comments:
Post a Comment