[ti:Scientists Say Soil-Like Material Can Be Used to Produce Batteries] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Scientists in Estonia say they have found a way [00:05.48]to use a soil-like material to produce batteries. [00:11.84]The material is peat, a dark substance [00:16.28]made of decomposed plants. [00:19.08]Peat is widely available in areas across northern Europe. [00:25.28]Researchers from Estonia's Tartu University [00:30.16]say they have found a way to use peat in sodium-ion batteries. [00:37.08]This kind of battery is one of several new technologies [00:42.44]being considered to replace widely used lithium-ion batteries. [00:49.44]Lithium-ion batteries power everything [00:53.68]from smartphones to computers to electric vehicles. [00:58.80]Sodium-ion technology [01:02.08]reduces the cost of the battery production process. [01:07.36]This is because the batteries contain sodium [01:11.60]instead of costly materials such as lithium, cobalt or nickel. [01:18.84]Enn Lust is head of the Institute of Chemistry at Tartu University. [01:26.92]He told reporters with Reuters news agency [01:30.92]that peat "doesn't cost anything, really." [01:35.12]The battery-making process includes [01:39.00]heating the decomposed peat to a high temperature [01:43.44]for two to three hours. [01:46.88]The university is seeking government support [01:50.36]to finance a small factory in Estonia [01:54.12]to test the technology. [01:56.68]Peat is commonly found in wet areas known as bogs. [02:03.44]It is used by whisky makers in Scotland. [02:07.52]Some northern European countries use the material [02:12.28]to fuel factories and homes. [02:15.00]It is also added to soil to help plants grow. [02:20.28]During the collection process, [02:23.20]bogs are drained to mine peat. [02:27.12]Trapped carbon dioxide is released into the air. [02:32.00]This has raised environmental concerns. [02:36.00]But the Estonian scientists say [02:39.52]their process uses decomposed peat. [02:44.16]This a waste product of traditional collection methods. [02:48.96]It is usually thrown away. [02:52.00]Lukasz Bednarski is a battery materials expert. [02:57.84]He told Reuters that sodium-ion batteries [03:02.16]using peat will need to prove to be profitable [03:06.32]and easily produced in large numbers. [03:10.16]In July, China's CATL [03:13.76]became the first major automotive battery maker [03:17.84]to release a sodium-ion battery. [03:22.00]Bednarski said, "I think that companies [03:25.72]will increasingly try to commercialize [03:28.88]the sodium-ion battery, [03:31.48]especially after the CATL announcement." [03:35.92]He added that less powerful sodium-ion batteries [03:40.60]are likely to be used together with lithium-ion technology [03:46.24]to bring down the overall cost of battery systems. [03:51.16]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM