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Marguerite Sesti

Mrs. Lewis
GT Science 7B
22 May 2014
The Real Power of Juice
Batteries have a long history. They have many uses in the modern world; they help us
with daily tasks that we dont think about. Batteries have been developed for many purposes;
some need to be plugged in to work, and some can even be rechargeable so that they are
portable, but they have negative effects, too. They can be harmful to children and even the
environment. In 2010 more than 3,400 children have swallowed button batteries or Lithium
batteries. (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Batteries have so many acidic chemicals that
harm young children. Batteries that we use in watches for example are so tiny that children
mistake it for food and they consume these small batteries and the effect is deadly. I believe that
there is a way to make batteries much safer. I believe that we can recycle lemons and batteries
and combine the two to make less harmful ways of creating electric current. Lemon batteries
would help our planet by taking away the acid chemicals that the earth is taking in when we
throw away batteries and we will be helping young children so that if they do happen to swallow
very small batteries it wont be as bad to digest the lemon juice rather than a whole bunch of
chemicals that their stomachs cant handle.
The history of batteries goes way back into ancient times. Modern day isnt the only time
small objects for electricity were needed however. Wilhelm Konig, an archaeologist, was
digging and came across small clay pots or jars in 1938. They were around what is today
Baghdad, Iraq and they measured about 5 inches long. The components were copper and an iron
rod that dated back to about 200 B.C. (Marshall Brain 2) Our first true battery was developed in
the 1700s. In 1799, the first battery with a steady current was created by Alessandro Volta, an
Italian physicist. He created it by alternating components of zinc, cloth, and silver and this
arrangement is called a voltaic pile. The first battery was created sooner but this was the first
battery with a steady current as mentioned before. (Marshall Brain 2)Ive learned a lot about
batteries in that they are way more complex than we think because we take them for granted
since they are just kind of there. When you look at a battery broken down there are several parts.
You have the outside metal shell or the container of the battery. Then you have all the inside
components that work together to create the flow of energy (Bates). Container: It all starts with
an empty steel can- the battery container. Cathode Mix: A cathode mix- finely ground powders
of manganese dioxide and conductors carrying a naturally-occurring positive electrical charge- is
molded to the inside wall of the empty container. Separator: A separator paper is inserted to
keep the cathode from touching the anode. Anode: The anode, which carries a negative electrical
charge, and potassium hydroxide electrolyte are then pumped into each container. Collector:
The brass pin, which forms the negative current, is inserted into the battery, which is then sealed
and capped. (Energizer)
Now with technology smaller batteries with the same voltage are needed so we can have
rechargeable compress batteries in things such as our phones. Rechargeable batteries are really
helpful since we cant just stay in one place all the time to charge something. Something we have
to bring with us to places and rechargeable batteries make it so that is possible to do so. Also
when you think about it, the batteries in our iPhones are so high-tech that they are small
enough to be built into our phones and we cant even see the battery. That is how far technology
has come with our modern day batteries that we use for watches, flashlights, and even things like
speakers.
So, based on what I knew about batteries, I knew the components and the conductor the
acid needed. I then researched about Lemon batteries. One of the ways that you can make a
lemon battery is by taking a whole lemon and gently rolling it on a table and applying some
pressure. (Hila Science Online) This is to squeeze the lemon without breaking the skin. Then you
take some wire and strip the ends of the insulation off your copper wire so that you can connect
it to your battery. You can use 2 inches of a paper clip as your negative charge and you can put
this in your lemon. Then your other component is a copper wire, again use about 2 inches, also
put this in your lemon somewhat close to your paper clip. You connect one wire from the copper
wire to the positive end of your object to power and connect the other wire from the paper clip to
the negative part of the object. There are many other ways to create a lemon battery. This was
similar to what I did but it wasnt quite the same.
I decided to use the copper penny and the zinc nail as my positive and negative
connectors and then made sure the lemon juice did not drip between both to cancel the electric
current created between the two metals. I realized that by cutting the lemon down into sections,
each one could exist as a stand-alone battery. This was the video that I actually used to complete
my experiment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY9qcDCFeVI (Hila Science Online) . I
followed along the same lines as they did to create my battery. This video showed what we
needed to do from sanding certain things down to make sure we had a clean connection to
making sure the juice didnt drip out. It gave step by step what we needed to do in order to get
results for this battery. I believe that it really helped me to put this experiment together to have
fewer flaws then if I wouldnt have watched the video. If I didnt wipe up the dripping juice, it
could have affected the whole experiment and it could have not worked. Since I watched the
video I avoided the small flaws and had a relatively smooth process and experiment. I also tried a
voltaic pile; it was very messy and didnt work.
Voltage is the measure of power in an energy source that gives us electricity currents.
The definition from dictionary.com gives a really great definition of what volt is. The standard
unit of potential difference and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI),
formally defined to be the difference of electric potential between two points of a conductor
carrying a constant current of one ampere, when the power dissipated between these points is
equal to one watt. (Marshall Brain 7) This means that voltage is a carried by a conductor which
would be the battery giving an electrical current to power electronics. In my lemon experiment, I
will be determining, how many lemons it will take to create enough voltage to power my
equipment. Based on what I know, it will take at least ten lemons to create enough power to
operate the speaker that will play my songs. One lemon should be equal to one volt. Ten lemons
would be equal to ten volts. The more the volts, the greater the power will be to charge
equipment.
In line with voltage, I explored avenues of how battery technology has been changing.
We have all sorts of batteries with different voltages and now batteries are getting smaller with
massive amounts of voltage. I read a recent article about button batteries that children have
consumed because it resembles candy. In 2010, more than 3,400 kids swallowed button
batteries. (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Because it is so deadly, it made me think there
has to be some avenue better and more economically friendly. The acids in batteries not only can
kill people, they are very harmful to the environment. Batteries contain heavy metals such as
mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are
improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can
concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process. (Environmental Health and Safety
Online) I know development in battery technology has been constantly changing, so I decided to
explore avenues on ways they are changing.
In exploring ways of battery advancements, I found a unique article that made me rethink
my hypothesis and how I could rethink making an environmentally friendly and safer recyclable
battery using my lemon experiment. I recently read an article about a Korean company devising
a wind-up double A battery. (Logue) I found other article related to smaller and longer charged
batteries that will allow electric car technology to be developed that may save on our
consumption of natural resources. A company has developed using a different material geranium.
The research team have also ensured that their nanotechnology solution was scalable, low-cost
and low-energy making the technology both greener and commercially viable. (R&D
Magazine) Based on this research and development, I began thinking about my experiment.
What if I try and devise a design that will allow one to use lemon juice to power a double A
battery. What if the design allows one to dump out the used juice and replenish it with new juice
and in essence have a recyclable battery that is environmentally friendly?
I thought through my design, and thought what experiment could be conducted to
validate my idea. I needed to know if I could use the same liquid juice but be able to use
different wire connects and validate the voltage necessary. If it takes 10-12 different connections
in different pieces of lemon, then could I connect the same 10-12 different connections in the
same lemon? If I could figure a way to use the same juice with different connections, I could
then make a battery design that would have a main chamber for the juice, but have different
positive and negative connections interwoven and attached to the juice chamber that I could
create my Double A voltage. So, I proceeded with my design, and I had to create another
experiment in which I set up simple connections, but in one lemon. I needed to test it with the
voltmeter to see if I could obtain the same results as I did with the individual lemon pieces. I
believe that if I kept the connections separate and non-contaminated by juice, that I would be
able to create the necessary voltage using just one lemon, thus I believe my design for an
environmentally friendly recyclable battery using lemon juice could be possible. I will test my
design and it should work in theory, then I would conduct time trials to test the life span of the
battery. I also would develop more connections and designs and see if that either brings up the
life span or brings up the battery voltage.
Bibliography
Bates, Mary. "How Does a Battery Work?" 1 May 2012. http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/how-
does-battery-work. article. 2 May 2014.
California Energy Commission. "Science Projects Lemon Power." 2006.
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html. web page. 12 February 2014.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Lithium Button Batteries A Lurking Danger." 2011.
http://www.chop.edu/service/injury-prevention-program/child-safety-information/lithium-
batteries.html. Article. 14 May 2014.
Energizer. "How Batteries Work." 2000. http://www.energizer.com/learning-center/Pages/how-
batteries-work.aspx. video. 2 May 2014.
Environmental Health and Safety Online. "Battery Disposal Guide for Households - Where to
Safely Recycle Used Batteries." 3 March 2014.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php. article. 20 May 2014.
Hila Science Online. "Create A Lemon Battery." 24 November 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY9qcDCFeVI. video. 12 February 2014.
Logue, Adrian. "Quintessential Cool - Wind up Double A Battery." 12 February 2014.
http://quintessentialcool.com/home/wind-up-double-a-battery/. article. 19 May 2014.
Marshall Brain, Charles W. Bryant, Clint Pumphrey. "How Batteries Work." 1 April 2000.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/battery1.htm. article. 2 May 2014.
Northwestern University. "How Do Batteries Work?" n.d.
http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/power/2-how-do-batteries-work.html.
document. 19 May 2014.
R&D Magazine. "Researchers make breakthrough in battery technology." 10 Febrary 2014.
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2014/02/researchers-make-breakthrough-battery-
technology. article. 12 May 2014.
Science Buddies. "A Battery that Makes Cents." 2002. http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-
fair-projects/project_ideas/Energy_p015.shtml#background. website. 12 February 2014.
The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. "Volt." 2005.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/volt. website. 23 May 2014.

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