In order to help catapult Irish innovation to the world stage, and effect change globally, Science Foundation Ireland have launched the Future Innovator Prize.
With €4m available across two challenges – AI for Societal Good and Zero Emissions – this competition offers Irish science the money to match its ambition. Challenge-based funding is a solution-focused approach to research funding that uses prizes, strict timelines, teamwork and competition to direct research activities at ambitious societal problems
Science To The Rescue is an hour long documentary, presented by Trevor Vaugh (Big Life Fix), that got up close and personal with some of the challenge teams trying to win the prize funds. As the clock ticks down, we learn about the motivation behind their work and meet some of those who will benefit from their breakthroughs.
LiCoRICE: Bringing lithium cobalt batteries into the circular economy (key to meeting Ireland's aims of decarbonising transport by 2030).
Challenge: Rechargeable batteries containing lithium and cobalt are key to meeting Ireland’s aims of decarbonising transport by 2030 and limiting the effects of transport emission on climate change.
Currently, demand for these batteries is increasing massively, but the supply of raw materials is limited and mining them often involves exploitation of child labour. Ireland (and Europe) also face challenges in security of the supply of these materials as they originate outside of the EU.
Recycling spent batteries is obviously the answer, but to date, this is not undertaken in an efficient manner and involves export of waste across the world. A solution to the problem of recycling batteries will positively impact everyone’s lives, reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, lowering the cost of electric vehicles and improving the conditions of populations involved in mining raw materials.
Solution: The LICORICE team’s highly innovative solution is to recycle waste battery products into a novel material that is then transformed into fresh lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) for new batteries.
Our process will result in lower energy consumption and a fast turnaround for producing LCO compared to current industry standards. We will work with industry and academics to make Ireland’s first fully green battery, showing that electric vehicle production can be environmentally sound.
This will lead to cheaper batteries for electric vehicles, lower carbon emissions and relieve conditions for communities involved in mining the raw materials.
