Crayons, lubricants, candles, soaps, lipsticks, shaving creams, deodorants and toothpaste are just some of the many by-products that can come from cattle.

Researchers from Argentina believe they may soon have one more to add to that already long list: litium batteries.

Scientists at Conicet, Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Agency, and the National University of Cordoba have been able to use cow hair to make lithium-sulphur batteries that they say have demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance.

Conventional batteries are composed of a graphite anode and a cobalt-nickel cathode, materials which are scarce, expensive and environmentally impactful to source.

By choosing to use sulphur as a material for the cathode, the aim is to reduce associated costs and environmental impacts.

“Sulphur needs somewhere to adhere to form the cathode and to create the skeleton we think of biocarbons that are obtained through organic waste such as cow hair,” explained Conicet researcher Victoria Bracamonte, according to Argentinean news service Rosario3.

The research involved sourcing cow hair from a local tannery.

The hair was washed and deodorised and then subjected to two cooking processes, reaching temperatures of up to 900 °Celsius, with sulphur added during the process.

Next, a small, watch-like battery was assembled using a pure lithium anode.

The cow-hair batters exhibited “high capacity, good rate capability and excellent cyclability”, the researchers wrote in their report, which they attribute to the porous carbon structure of the cow hair.

The project was supported by YPF – Technologies (Y-TEC) in collaboration with Conicet which has reported it has already filed the patent for the project in the United States.

The researchers say the next steps are to scale production and connect the tannery and battery industries to generate a circular process. This is long term”.

Fwlloe Ezequiel Leiva added: “These are batteries that could only be on the market within 10 years.

“They are a very different technology from the current one.

“Development and testing on an industrial scale will take time. In any case, they will not replace current batteries either. They are likely to coexist”.