Vedanta-owned Hindustan Zinc Lted, India’s largest integrated zinc producer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR)to collaborate and develop new variants of zinc materials to propel the commercialisation of zinc-based batteries.
In a statement, the company said, partnership with JNCASR, a premiere institute sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of battery technologies, leveraging zinc’s abundant resource availability, cost-effectiveness and sustainable practices.
Better alternative to lithium
At present, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market but lithium availability, geographic concentration of mineral processing, and safety concerns around combustion issues pose some key challenges to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions.
“Above all, lithium is far costlier (more than four times) than zinc. Zinc-based batteries are better alternatives mainly because they last longer, are cost-effective and durable and have a proven safety track record,” the statement said.
The indigenous development of zinc-based batteries will also help the exchequer save due to the element’s abundance within the country, Hindustan Zinc said.
Some of the widely recognised zinc-based battery chemistries include zinc-manganese, zinc-carbon, nickel-zinc and zinc-air.
The collaboration will focus on the research and development of zinc alloys as anodes for zinc ion and zinc air batteries, developing electrolytes for high-performance zinc alloy anodes, and designing and developing chemical processes for recycling zinc metal-based batteries.
By entering into research, Hindustan Zinc aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy solutions, as zinc is crucial across the value chain of all critical industries like steel, renewable energy, battery storage solutions, electricals & electronic components and mobility.
“This collaboration demonstrates our crucial role in catering to the increasing demand for alternative energy solutions by being an active contributor of critical raw materials for the development of emerging clean technologies,” Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc said.