Running the World on Coffee and Salt Water

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular energy booster, and bathing in the ocean’s salty water has long been regarded and scientifically proven as rejuvenating. Now, coffee and salt water may provide us with the charge to overcome our energy challenge.

 

Today, humanity has reached a consumption rate that is unprecedented, and the rate is only increasing alongside the global population. Meanwhile, pollutants and toxic wastes are accumulating in the environment as byproducts of fossil fuels burning and our attempts to have stored-ready to use energy. Non environmental friendly products like batteries that contain lead, cadmium, zinc, lithium and mercury can leak in to the soil and water supplies, and wreak environmental havoc. The challenge to sustainably provide energy will become more and more dire as the human populations continue to grow along with the increment in consumption per capita.

Harnessing the abundance power of the sun has shone much promise on the energy challenge, however, we are far from reaching long term sustainable solutions. The problem is in mediums of harnessing and the contraption for storing the abundant solar energy.

 

According to Nature, a recent study at the Departments of Energy, Applied Science and Technology, and the National Institute of Optics in Italy has brewed up a novel solution, coffee based colloids that can directly absorb solar energy. An important benefit to the arabica based colloid is that it is non-toxic which makes the cuppa colloid more attractive than carbon nanoparticle based colloids that may lead to major environmental concerns and biological risks, because of their cytotoxicity, says the researchers.

 

Meanwhile, at the Imperial College of London scientists have come up with a prototype battery primarily utilising salt water and polymers.

“The breakthrough comes from the design of polymer materials that can take up and release positive or negative ions from salt water quickly and reversibly without degrading.”

 

When renewable energy like solar or wind are used as part of the infrastructure on a national or local grid, they can only provide energy intermittently. A battery system that could store this energy quickly, but also give it back to the grid when needed, would be valuable in keeping supply steady.

The prototype will provide an apparatus for research and experiments for applying the salt water base battery on a significant scale.

 

If coffee and salt water can provide clean and sustainable energy, imagine the possibilities of a world where scientific research and development is vigorously applied by all nations.