TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A team of researchers from the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Department (DTMM FTUI) developed a material for lithium ion battery from used coffee grounds, which is designed to be applicable for electric vehicle batteries (EV).

The coffee grounds are processed into the graphene part of the battery, while coconut shell waste is turned into active carbon and added to the anode active material. The use of these materials is gained in its lighter weight and quicker charging time.

Head of the Lithium-Ion battery development research team, Anne Zulfia Syahrial, in a written statement on November 3, explained that the benefits of using Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) is to lower the possibility of short circuits during the charging process.

The electrical current produced by the use of this technology is said to be much stabler compared to graphite lithium batteries, which are generally the most-common technology used in current electric vehicles sold to the public.

“Our team attempts to overcome the weaknesses of mixing Sn or Si and active carbon from coconut shell waste into composites. We also turn coffee waste grounds into graphene which will be mixed with LTO,” said Anne in the statement.

Another member in the research team, Bambang Priyono said the idea to utilize coffee waste grounds for lithium ion batteries came after the team saw an abundance of coffee ground waste from batches that were unused. After studying the material they found that the waste can be turned to graphene that is useful for the conductivity of LTO in lithium ion batteries.

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Another benefit from the use of coffee-based graphene is that it produces nanoparticles that have a better surface area, in turn lets more ions pass through that produce better energy. The research team also believes that EVs utilizing this LTO battery technology can weigh up to 200 kilograms, which is still lighter compared to the current available electric vehicles that have batteries - on average - weighing up to 500 kilograms.

The lighter weight will show better mileage for the vehicle along with a quicker-charging battery.

The University of Indonesia Engineering Faculty Dean Hendri D.S. Budiono said this innovation will be useful for the development of Indonesia’s electric vehicle industry. He hopes that the industry will eventually utilize this innovation and commercialize it.

“The research shows that Indonesia has a huge potential to become a market leader in terms of EV batteries, with the abundance of materials that can be used to produce batteries that are available in Indonesia’s nature,” said Hendri.

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IRSYAN HASYIM (CONTRIBUTOR)