HIPERZAB is launched to create the first electrically rechargeable zinc-air battery

The European HIPERZAB project, driven by seven relevant companies and research centers -six EU and one Turkish-, has been officially launched today in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country - Spain) with the aim of designing the first electrically rechargeable zinc-air battery. The kick-off meeting of the consortium, which has a budget of 3.93 million euros and an execution period of 48 months, took place at the headquarters of CIC energiGUNE, a Basque reference center in electrochemical energy storage, thermal energy storage and conversion, and hydrogen technologies.

HIPERZAB´s proposal has been included in the European Union´s Pathfinder Challenges call for its highly disruptive component. Primary zinc-air batteries are currently available on the market, but an electrically rechargeable version has not yet been developed. With the implementation of the HIPERZAB project, immediate improvements are expected in storage time, cost reduction and life cycle design adapted to medium-term storage, as well as allowing the combination with renewable energies and electrolyzers. 

The HIPERZAB consortium has pointed out that metal-air batteries, such as zinc-air batteries, have significant advantages: use of cheap and abundant active materials, high energy density, and long-term stability. There are, however, two major obstacles that have hindered their development so far: rechargeability (limited to minutes, hours) and the high maintenance costs associated with mechanical (not electrical) recharging. HIPERZAB aims to overcome these barriers.  

To this end, HIPERZAB will develop three innovative components: an anode composed of Zinc/3D porous biopolymer, a sustainable bilayer gel electrolyte based on natural polymers, and a cathode free of critical materials. The project will also put a special focus on understanding the reaction mechanisms of these materials, correlating operating conditions with electrochemical phenomena thanks to characterization techniques developed specifically for this technology.

In addition, HIPERZAB will pay special attention to clarify the correlations between materials, operating conditions and electrochemical phenomena through operational characterizations and multiscale modeling. HIPERZAB´s developments will be permanently guided by life cycle and circular economy approaches, so as to ensure sustainable end-of-life options for the devices.

The HIPERZAB consortium is made up of CIC energiGUNE -project leader-, Cegasa Energía, Sintef, Poltecnico di Torino, Institut de Recerca de l´energia de Catalunya, Advenst and Deutsches Zentrum Für Luft Und Raumfahrt.