Microbes to Materials: Biotechnological Innovations in Battery Sustainability

Abstract

As the global demand for energy storage accelerates, so does the need for sustainable and circular approaches to battery production and recycling. 
This talk explores the emerging frontier of biotechnology in enabling greener battery technologies—specifically through biohydrometallurgy and bio-based materials. By integrating biohydrometallurgy and bio-based materials, biotechnology offers a powerful toolkit for reimagining sustainable batteries.

The talk will focus on how microorganisms are being harnessed in biohydrometallurgy to selectively extract and recover critical metals like lithium, cobalt, iron, manganese and nickel from spent lithium-ion batteries. This biological approach offers a low-energy, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional high-temperature or chemically intensive methods, with closed loop lithium-ion batteries recycling towards circular economy approach.

The talk will also highlight development of bio-based composite polymer electrolyte based on chitosan and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) for application in aqueous Li-Zn-based structural batteries. Chitosan, a deacetylated derivative of chitin sourced from crustacean shells, offers high mechanical strength, ionic conductivity in aqueous media, and the ability to modulate Zn²⁺ ion solvation, crucial for suppressing dendrite growth and corrosion. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), extracted from plant biomass, serve as high-aspect-ratio reinforcements.
Together, the Chitosan-CNF composite electrolyte forms a multifunctional, solid-state polymer electrolyte that couples high ionic conductivity with structural reinforcement for improved electrochemical performance of aqueous Li-Zn-based structural batteries.

Professor Madhavi Srinivasan

Executive Director, ERI@N, Energy Research institute at NTU

Executive Director, NTU Sustainability office

Prof Madhavi is a Professor in School of Materials Science & Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. She is executive Director ERI@N, Energy Research institute and NTU Sustainability office. She is also co-Director of SCARCE (Singapore-CEA alliance for research in Circular economy), a joint lab, in collaboration with French Alternative energies and atomic energy commission (CEA, France) focusing on recycling of e-waste.

Prof Madhavi ‘s research focuses on the sustainable batteries development and recycling of lithium-ion batteries. She focusses on synthesis, fabrication and application of nanoscale materials/architectures in improving the performance of electrochemical energy storage devices such as advanced lithium-ion batteries, sodium ion batteries, multivalent aqueous Zn / Al and structural batteries.

Her research is also on recycling of lithium-ion batteries e-waste by novel hydrometallurgical techniques towards a closed loop approach. She is among an elite group of researchers worldwide who have been recognized for exceptional research performance demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited research papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for field in Web of Science. She has also won several prestigious awards including ASEAN- US-Science Prize for Women (2023), Asia’s top Sustainability Superwomen (2019) and L’Oreal for Women in Science National Fellowships. She has also worked collaboratively with several industry funded projects in the energy area including Energizer (USA), Arkema (France/USA), Rolls Royce (UK), BMW (Germany), Johnson Matthey (UK), Bosch (Germany), Arcadium lithium (USA), Durapower (Singapore), Gotion (China).