Introduction

The invention consists of a metal-polysulfides redox flow battery based on low-cost, Earth-abundant and non-toxic materials. These characteristics are crucial for the technology application in the field of stationary energy storage. A further advantage is the possibility of recycling sulfur-rich waste, establishing a virtuous circle of circular economy.

Technical features

The metal-polysulfides redox flow battery, protected in the proposed patent, is an innovative device for stationary energy storage, which uses low-cost, Earth-abundant and non-toxic materials. In detail, the invention is based on aqueous solutions with alkaline pH, excluding the possible formation of toxic gases, e.g. H2S, and increasing the safety of the device. In fact, unlike other technologies, there are no highly flammable or explosive liquids. Moreover, the proposed battery fully respects the principles of circular economy, also thanks to the possibility of recovering and recycling sulfur-rich waste from the petrochemical industry. The low installation cost (50-150 $/kWh) and high energy efficiency (> 70%) promote this technology for applications in the field of energy production from renewable power sources and for the efficient energy management.

Possible Applications

• Support for the intermittent renewable energy production
• Energy management (smart-grid and micro-grid)
• Ancillary services
• Off-grid applications
• Sulfur-rich wastes retrainement

Advantages

• Low-cost and Earth-abundant raw materials
• Low installation cost (50-150 $/kWh)
• High energy efficiency (> 70%)
• Long cycle-life (> 20 years)
• Possibility to store huge amounts of energy (long-duration energy storage)
• Circular economy