Science News Desk – Most of the vehicles we ride in today run on petrol and diesel. Electric vehicles are becoming an alternative to petrol-diesel vehicles, which get electricity from lithium-ion batteries. But in the future, cars will run with baking powder too! And planes will fly on fuel made from manure! This is such a fantasy, which can surprise anyone. But according to an Oxford expert, all this could one day become a reality.
According to a report in Daily Mail, lithium-ion batteries are bringing a big change in the auto sector at present. The use of these batteries is also revolutionizing many other areas. At the same time, some companies feel that hydrogen power can become a better option in the aviation sector. However, Bill David, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Oxford University, has a different opinion.
They believe that ‘baking powder’ and ‘fertilizer’ will play an important role in the transport of the future, although they will not be used directly. David predicts that sodium, found in salt, seawater and baking powder, will become a key component of the batteries used in the cars and gadgets of the future. It is important to note that the availability of sodium is much higher than that of lithium.
Professor David’s assessment is significant because he was part of the team that invented the lithium battery in the 1980s. According to the Daily Mail report, David made this prediction in Washington DC, where he had reached the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He said that we need both lithium and sodium. By 2030, most electric cars will use batteries made of lithium and sodium. This gap will widen and by the year 2040, sodium battery use could be 10 to 100 times more than lithium.
He added that sodium works better at low and high temperatures than lithium batteries. These batteries can be easily recycled and are also inexpensive. On the other hand David’s argument regarding air travel is a bit different. According to the report, David thinks that ammonia found in fertilizers is a permanent solution for fuel in planes.