Lithium batteries find extensive applications in cell phones, computers, wearable devices, electric vehicles, and beyond.

The increasing market demand for lithium batteries coexists with challenges, such as high production costs and limited key raw material reserves.

Consequently, enterprises are exploring alternative technologies, setting their sights on magnesium, zinc, sodium, and other new battery possibilities. This shift has ignited what some call the global race for lithium battery alternatives.

The development of new materials is pivotal to becoming a manufacturing powerhouse, and this development requires meeting two critical conditions: belonging to a "high boom industry" and having "high technology barriers."

The new energy sector provides fertile ground for the application of these innovative materials.

In a groundbreaking move, the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt recently announced a joint development agreement with the Finnish forestry company Stora Enso. They plan to utilize lignin-based hard carbon derived from renewable wood in Nordic forests to manufacture batteries.

This marks the world's first industrialized battery with anodes produced entirely from European raw materials, with the primary objectives of reducing the carbon footprint and production costs.

Stora Enso is renowned for its paper products and operates 85 production plants globally. As an 800-year-old renewable materials company, it stands as one of the world's largest non-public forest asset owners and one of Europe's leading forest products companies.

Lignin, a naturally occurring polymer derived from plants, serves as a robust adhesive found in tree bark or wood, comprising 20-30% of lignin content. Its primary role is to reinforce cell walls by forming interwoven networks.

Researchers can extract lignin-containing organic fibers from natural wood through physical and chemical treatment. These organic fibers can act as stabilizers and are environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and non-polluting, representing a paradigm of green products.

The concept of wooden batteries isn't entirely new, as exemplified by Japanese efforts. Japan Paper, in collaboration with Northeastern University of Japan, Fukuhara Ganuo, and others, successfully harnessed wood raw materials to create a unique "wood battery."

Japan Paper envisions a future where this "wood battery" powers pure electric vehicles.

With the proliferation of new energy vehicles and the growing demand for pure electric vehicles, the battery market has expanded. Simultaneously, battery recycling and the environmental impact of waste batteries have gained prominence.

While the supply of battery raw materials shrinks and prices rise, recycling technology for waste batteries and environmental pollution have become pressing issues. Research indicates that a small button-sized battery tossed into water can pollute 600,000 liters of water, equivalent to a person's lifetime water consumption.

When batteries are buried underground, the rare heavy metals contained within them can leach into groundwater and soil, leading to contamination. To address these problems, it has become increasingly urgent to discover new alternative raw materials for creating novel batteries.

As technology advances, wood batteries may potentially match or even surpass the performance of current lithium batteries, offering a battery energy capacity that holds significant promise in the realm of environmental sustainability.

Moreover, the expansion of electric vehicles and the need for efficient energy storage solutions make this research into alternative materials all the more vital.

The future could see wood batteries emerge as a viable, green energy storage option with capacities that may outperform traditional lithium batteries, fostering a brighter, more environmentally sustainable future.