Scientists develop game-changing technology that turns Styrofoam into electricity — here’s how it could energize future appliances

The next time a delivery company drops off a package laden with Styrofoam filler on your porch, consider the future of those polystyrene peanuts.

Experts at Australia’s RMIT University think they can recycle the would-be trash into a material that can make electricity using wind, and they have the findings to prove it. Their research was detailed in a news release.

“We can produce this static electricity just from air blowing on the surface of our clever patches, then harvest that energy,” lead researcher Peter Sherrell said in the lab summary.

At issue is the 27.5 million tons of single-use polystyrene that RMIT noted is created around the world each year. Importantly, not much of it is recycled, per the experts.

The energy project being worked on alongside researchers from Riga Technical University in Latvia is an unlikely solution.

Sherrell said polystyrene is remade into thin patches as part of a patented process. The thin pieces are a tenth of the size of a human hair, per the news release. The magic happens when wind passes over the material, taking advantage of friction in small places to create static electricity. It could have everyday applications.

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“There’s potential for energy from the turbulent exhaust of air conditioning units to be collected that could reduce the energy demand by up to 5% and, ultimately, lower the carbon footprint of the system,” Sherrell said.

Patch power output is linked to faster speed and “bigger motion,” as the experts describe it. Adding more layers of recycled polystyrene results in more static electricity able to be harvested.

“This means that in addition to air conditioners, integrating our patches in high traffic areas such as underground walkways could supplement local energy supply without creating additional demand on the grid,” the researcher added.

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Experts elsewhere are developing ways to make energy in unusual places. A team of international scientists is working to harness the electricity created when wind passes over small droplets of water. The energy could potentially power small electronics. Meanwhile, in France, engineering students developed turnstiles that can power nearby screens as people pass through them, harnessing everyday kinetic energy.

The RMIT innovation could help to reduce the heaps of plastic waste piling up in the world. The research team, and other experts, reported that it takes at least 500 years for polystyrene to decompose.

An easy way to help reduce plastic waste is to avoid using it to begin with. Simply switching to a reusable water bottle in place of throwaway plastic ones, for example, can save you hundreds of dollars a year, as well.

Next up for the RMIT team is finding industry partners to invest in the tech. The researchers are also investigating other single-use plastics that might be recycled in the same way.

“We’ve studied which plastic generates more energy and how when you structure it differently —  make it rough, make it smooth, make it really thin, make it really fat —  how that changes all this charging phenomenon,” Sherrell said.

“The impact of this research now relies on the development of devices for a range of commercial applications with industry partners,” he continued.

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