[CES 2023] BeFC invents the ecological paper-based battery

Mainly intended for low power products and single use in the health field, such as diabetic kits or heart rate measurement patches, BeFC batteries are intended to replace the lithium batteries existing in many medical devices or biomedical. "Lithium batteries are very difficult to recycle, toxic or harmful to the environment, regrets Jules Hammond, CEO of BeFC. The only solution is often to burn them and 97% of them end up in the fields and the oceans … These biopiles therefore offer a sustainable and ecological solution for energy production while minimizing the impact on the planet".

Ultra-thin paper-based batteries

Designed by a committee of experts including Doctors Jean-Francis Bloch and Serge Cosnier – the latter being famous for having been the first to implant in an animal a biopile functioning with the glucose contained in the blood – these ultra-thin and miniaturized batteries made from paper are made from ecological biofuel. "Our technology uses biological catalysts, instead of expensive or expensive chemical catalysts based on noble metals, to convert natural substrates like glucose and oxygen into electricity"says Jules Hammond. A drop of tap water or biological fluids is enough to initialize the battery.

Available in a wide range of formats and performance, it is as powerful as a lithium battery (2.5 milliwatts per square centimeter) and its recycling cost drops drastically, as does its impact on the environment.

2022 target: 5 million batteries per year

Already under contract with Clearblue, a specialist in ovulation and pregnancy tests, the BeFC team is going to CES (Eureka park stand 51051) to attract new customers wishing to integrate this device into their technology, notably IOT, but also investors ready to support them in the creation of a laboratory in Grenoble. Objective: to go from 10,000 batteries produced per day currently to 5 million in 2025, and thus reduce the battery below 50 cents.