A battery whose critical components can be harvested from seaweed could one day help replace lithium batteries, which rely on mining rare materials
Could batteries that use compounds from seaweed be the future of energy storage?
William Tait/Alamy
A battery that has crucial parts made from seaweed could pave the way to greener energy storage.
Most batteries in smartphones, electric cars and laptops rely on lithium. This metal is in short supply, though, and is often mined by workers in poor conditions and is refined using methods that damage the environment. The shortage of lithium is only likely to worsen as the world shifts away from fossil fuels towards using more renewable electricity stored in …