Biowaste eggshells as efficient electrodes for energy storage

Abstract There is no greater gift than sustainable reliable electricity. Storing energy on even a micro-grid scale requires inexpensive, safe, and efficient technologies. This chapter addresses the important problem of energy storage, without which energy delivery to rural and remote communities, for both agricultural and household needs, will remain dependent on expensive and carbon-intensive diesel-driven power generation and mechanization. This chapter demonstrates that waste valorization from agro-food industries could be a sustainable resource for electrodes in energy-storage devices. The findings presented in this work will highlight waste eggshell as a valuable, sustainable resource for future developers of renewable and sustainable technologies that deliver promising performance in both lithium– and sodium–ion energy-storage devices. The role of waste valorization on the path to sustainable resources processing and a circular economy is discussed from an energy-material perspective that can begin to replace energy production from fossil fuels. Improved cell performance from the development and use of waste valorization electrode materials will enable energy generated from renewable sources to be stored more efficiently and used on-demand in rural areas. This is a major and novel enabler of electric-based rural distributed power systems that underpin energy security through agricultural mechanization.