RegenBox – Benchmarking the alkaline battery market
Country of development/application:
France
Scope of innovation
☒ Office work
☐ Production / Service supply process
Sector-specific
☐ Yes / please, specify sector(s):
☒ No (relevant for all sectors)
Description of the needs
The alkaline battery is a toxic waste that is too easily thrown away in conventional trash cans. It is then incinerated or buried. Even if the recyclability rate remains high, recycling is not the most sustainable solution.
• 985 million alkaline batteries are sold in France in 2021.
• 100 g of CO2 is the average carbon footprint of an AA battery.
• Out of 4 discarded batteries, 1 is new, 2 can be regenerated, and 1 is to be recycled.
• $10.86 billion is the global alkaline battery market forecast in 2028.
Using NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) or NiZn (Nickel-Zinc) rechargeable batteries is a way to reduce energy waste and reduce waste. However, there are reasons for continuation of the use of disposable batteries instead of their rechargeable alternatives, including:
• The price: rechargeable batteries are available on the shelf next to alkaline batteries at a higher price, with similar packaging. The customer therefore has the impression of getting a good deal by choosing disposable batteries.
• The capacity of disposable batteries is not indicated on the packaging while the one of the rechargeable is, and the customer cannot easily compare.
• Marketing slogans: alkaline batteries are sold with catchy slogans – they are “powerful” and “last longer”. However, over an entire life cycle (first use and subsequent uses), they last much less than rechargeable batteries.
• A majority of electronic, photographic and lighting devices have been designed to operate with multiple voltages of 1.5 V (conventional alkaline batteries). However, rechargeable batteries have a maximum voltage of 1.2 V. Informed users therefore tend not to use them.
The whole point of the RegenBox concept is to drastically reduce the quantity of waste produced by the batteries by giving them several lives thanks to regeneration. RegenBox is a result of a collaborative research program aimed at any consumer using alkaline batteries for personal or professional use to regenerate them, although they are supposedly “non-rechargeable”. By re-inventing from a patent fallen into the public domain, RegenBox was launched in 2017.
Description of the solution
RegenBox offers diagnostic and regeneration solutions for non-rechargeable batteries that are still usable. RegenBox is the first “do-it-yourself” battery regenerator which reduces the tons of batteries wrongly thrown away. It is capable of regenerating LR6 and LR3 batteries using microelectric pulsions and in the future will be able to regenerate any type of “single use” batteries. RegenBox is designed to be environmentally friendly and against programmed obsolescence. To use RegenBox, users simply have to test the batteries, and if they are in the rechargeable range (0.9÷1.4 Volt), users just have to plug the battery into the RegenBox and plug it to an electrical source.
The history of alkaline regeneration begins long before the creation of RegenBox in 2020. The stroke of genius of the solution is that it is based on a patent filed in the 80s that has fallen into oblivion. In the late 1970s the founder of the solution discovered that it is possible to recharge alkaline batteries by electric micro-pulses. However this innovation has been buried by the promotion at that time of the NiMh-type of rechargeable batteries.
“Recharging” a battery is the action of providing electrical energy that the battery will store or accumulate. As such, the term “rechargeable batteries” is misused because a battery is by definition an element that provides its own energy independently. We must therefore use the term accumulator for rechargeable energy.
“Regenerating” a battery is the action of recovering the capacity of the battery by reactivating the chemical components that compose it. In concrete terms, this process injects electrical impulses into the battery in order to reverse the chemical reaction that occurred during its use and which rendered it unusable. In general, a regenerated battery has reduced characteristics compared to a new battery; in particular, its internal resistance is higher. For this reason, regenerated batteries should be used preferably in low-consumption uses (clocks, radios, remote controls, backups, measuring devices, etc.).
Once the battery no longer allows a device to work, it does not mean that it cannot be regenerated; there is often some energy left in it. Thus with a minimum battery voltage of 0.9 V, this is sufficient to regenerate it with the RegenBox solution. However, the more a battery is regenerated, the shorter its cycle becomes. The battery will end up being permanently out of service one day and the RegenBox solution provides for the significant delay of this day.
RegenBox is available in two versions:
• RegenBox: a laser cut and engraved wooden box with dimensions 17.2 x 9.2 x 2.5cm, with USB power cable, assembly instructions and access to dedicated video tutorials. Price: € 69.00.
• RegenBox Datalogger: a RegenBox of the same material and dimensions that connects to the user’s PC. It allows for recording of the charge and discharge curves of the batteries over several cycles. Discharge can be done using a 4.7 Ohm resistor. Price: € 69.00.
RegenBox also has voltmeter. It tests the voltage of AA and AAA batteries to find out if they are regenerable or reusable. Price: € 25.00.
The company also provides the so-called “collective” RegenBox solutions:
• RegenStation Diagnosis and regeneration terminal
The diagnostic and regeneration terminal is installed in places where batteries are collected (supermarkets, specialized stores, recycling centers, etc.). It targets 3/4 of discarded batteries that are still usable. Out of 4 discarded batteries, 1 is still new or almost new, 2 can be regenerated. The terminal allows its user to sort their batteries before throwing them away, and to exchange their “regenerable” batteries for as many batteries already regenerated.
• RegenCase
The RegenCase is a mini mobile sorting and regeneration centre. It is used in educational workshops but it can also be installed in companies, communities, universities/schools, etc. to sort and regenerate the batteries of employees or students.
Description of the effect
RegenBox does not propose to revolutionize the battery market but to simply offer a pragmatic approach that aims to extend the life of alkaline batteries. Alkaline batteries will continue to be used and they will continue to be thrown away instead of recycled. These are toxic wastes which, in the end, still end up buried or incinerated. RegenBox therefore assumes that taking care of regenerating these batteries is an option in the context of climate change agenda. The goal of regenerating alkaline batteries is to produce and consume less and therefore reduce the environmental impact of producing, as one alkaline battery requires 50 times more energy to be produced than it is capable to deliver.
Environmental benefits:
• Batteries regenerate in about 8 hours;
• Can recharge from 4 to 20 batteries at the same time;
• A so-called single-use alkaline battery can be recharged up to 10 times;
• Recuperates almost 75% of batteries that are otherwise thrown away;
• Saves 16 batteries per household per year.
RegenBox plays a supporting role in French schools in acquiring an ecological and educational approach. Raising awareness and educating young people about these environmental issues is a priority
Financial benefits:
• Customer’s investment pays off between 6 and 10 days;
• A saving of € 800 million per year on reused batteries can be reached only in France;
• A saving of 80% per household on their batteries purchases.
NiMh batteries certainly perform better and are more durable than alkaline batteries. The objective of the Regenbox is not to offer an alternative to NiMH or NiZn rechargeable batteries, but to offer a solution to reduce the current waste of alkaline batteries. Currently, of the approximately 30,000 tonnes of waste batteries, 80% are alkaline batteries.
Company/companies that developed/implemented/offer the innovation
Atelier21 is a think tank – a public interest lab founded in 2016. It works on advancing the energy transition by drawing inspiration from technologies of the past. Today, Atelier21 is at the head of several large-scale initiatives to pursue its mission of innovation and popularization around energy alternatives, RegenBox being one of them. From a community project, RegenBox it has now become a start-up – RegenFab, having its field of activity in the development and exploitation of all old or new patents or inventions around green energies.
RegenFab SAS
5 allee Paris-Ivry, 75013 Paris, France
8. Additional information
Video Presentation of RegenBox