MGX Minerals Inc (CSE:XMG) (OTCQB:MGXMF) reported Monday on more progress in the development of its ground-breaking zinc-air flow batteries.
The group's subsidiary MGX Renewables has successfully generated zinc fuel using its new linear regenerator module, the company told investors in a statement.
"The operation and support of the regeneration module is the prime function of the Zinc Regeneration Subsystem (ZRS), one of the three separately configurable subsystems of MGXR's unique zinc-air flow battery," the firm said. "The two other subsystems are the fuel storage subsystem and the power generation subsystem."
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MGX Renewables is developing zinc-air flow batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for applications that require long duration, high-capacity storage.
They are said to meet a need in both renewables storage and in industry and grid scale opportunities in power acquisition and distribution. They are also a cleaner and steadier way of providing and acquiring power.
In basic terms, the regeneration component of the system requires the passing of electric current across the opposing electrodes (cathode and anode) of each regeneration cell.
Particles of zinc are "grown" on the cathode and oxygen comes off the anode. Zinc particles are periodically washed off the cathode using the same electrolyte in which they were produced and stored in the fuel tank. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere.
When the system is delivering power, zinc particles are combined with oxygen drawn from the surrounding air. When the system is recharging, zinc particles are regenerated, and oxygen is returned to the surrounding air.
The technology can be used in a wide-range of ways, including in renewable sources such as wind and solar buts also to replace diesel generators and for grid-scale storage.
Last month, MGX announced that wholly-owned subsidiary MGX Renewables Inc had received conditional approval to list on the Canadian Securities Exchange.
Shares in MGX advanced 4% Monday in Toronto to $0.26.
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