Happy power: how China’s most famous liquor could fuel next-generation energy storage

Researchers turn leftover sediment from baijiu distillation into low-cost material that boosts sodium-ion battery performance

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An eco-friendly method using a by-product of baijiu distillation holds promise for boosting the performance of sodium-ion batteries, seen as a strong alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00pm, 2 Mar 2025

Any foreigner who has spent time in China probably has a story or two about drinking baijiu – or at least knows someone who did. Over centuries, the clear, fiery and potent liquor has become the quintessential Chinese spirit.

Now, scientists in China have tapped a potential – and unlikely – new use for the product, or rather the product’s by-product.

Researchers have turned leftover sediment from the distillation of baijiu into a material that improves the performance of sodium-ion batteries, a development that could help power the next generation of energy storage.

“This innovative low-cost, eco-friendly method holds promise for large-scale production once the technology matures,” said Professor Liu Xingquan, a project leader from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are considered a strong alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their lower cost and safer design. They are increasingly used in energy storage systems and low-speed electric vehicles.

Because sodium ions are larger than potassium ions, mainstream SIBs typically use hard carbon materials with larger internal pores as the anode instead of graphene, which is used in lithium-ion batteries.