Developing a Battery using Concrete as an Electrolyte

This paper presents a brief account of a developing electrochemical power source which uses set concrete (in this case, set cement paste containing no aggregate) as electrolyte. The system is designed with an aluminium anode which dissolves during discharge, and employs reduction of water to hydrogen on steel as cathode. The system functions as an alkaline aluminium/water cell, and can be operated at low current density.