Scientists make breakthrough that could redefine a common household product: 'Very cheap and abundant'

An Indian innovation with ties to most household medicine cabinets tackles a couple of problems while creating less pollution, according to lab summaries of the work. 

Experts from the Indian Institute of Science figured out how to make the popular disinfectant hydrogen peroxide with a zinc-air, or metal-air, battery in what they call a "novel approach." What's more, the cleaner process can also degrade industrial pollutants and toxic dyes, all per an institute news release. 

"Zinc is an abundant and historically-used element. … It is very cheap and abundant in India," professor Aninda J. Bhattacharyya, corresponding author of the study, said in the report. 

The researchers set out to address what past studies have shown: Hydrogen peroxide production can be a polluting process with planet-warming potential. It requires a lot of energy and costly metals. 

Understanding how a zinc-air battery works is key to unlocking its hydrogen peroxide production potential. The packs use zinc as the anode and air as the cathode — the two electrodes. When the battery discharges, oxygen is "reduced" at the cathode into H2O2, or hydrogen peroxide, per the institute's description. 

The experts added that the process must be controlled; otherwise, it produces only water. A cheap, metal-free, and chemically modified carbon catalyst was developed to help manage the reaction. It's a unique use of chemical energy storage to accomplish another task, per the report. 

The setup required another step that the scientists turned into a useful function. Since hydrogen peroxide is colorless, it's hard to see. By adding colored toxic dyes from the textile industry, the H2O2 changes shades and safely breaks down the dyes. 

"The H2O2 generated will further decompose into various radicals (such as hydroxide and superoxide) — highly raw, reactive organic species — that will eventually degrade the textile dye," Asutosh Behera, a doctoral student and first author of the study, said in the institute's report. 

Battery innovations often take interesting turns, such as the inclusion of cow hair in Argentina. Most of them focus on storing loads of energy at a low cost. Sometimes, secondary, or byproduct, reactions prove fruitful. Iron-alkaline science, which dates back to Thomas Edison, is being researched with the hope of a resurgence with multiple functions. These packs create hydrogen gas during cycles, which was considered an impairing nuisance in Edison's day. But the hydrogen production is now being reconsidered as a clean way to make the gas as innovations for the fuel alternative expand, BBC reported. 

The advancements are important parts of a cleaner, cooler future. Battery storage can help reduce and eliminate dirty fuel burning, a leading cause of planet-warming fume production that is linked by NASA to increased severe weather risks. The deadly storms are impacting insurance rates and coverages too. 

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You can help immediately with a low-tech, cheap solution: walking. By replacing a couple-mile drive with a walk each day — the trip to the post office, for example — you can cut about 600 pounds of air pollution annually. Just like the Indian battery project, walking provides multiple benefits. You can improve your health by taking a stroll as well, according to the Mayo Clinic. 

As for the zinc-air work, the Indian team acknowledged that there are still "fundamental challenges which must be overcome," per Bhattacharyya. 

Adding hydrogen peroxide production creates another layer of chemistry to control. But the tech could one day offer a solution for providing electricity in remote areas. 

"This method is very sustainable, low-cost, and highly energy-efficient," Bhattacharyya said in the report. 

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