Scientists in Estonia say they have found a way to use a soil-like material to produce batteries.The material is peat, a dark substance made of decomposed plants.Peat is widely available in areas across northern Europe.Researchers from Estonia's Tartu University say they have found a way to use peat in sodium-ion batteries.This kind of battery is one of several new technologies being considered to replace widely used lithium-ion batteries.Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smartphones to computers to electric vehicles.Sodium-ion technology reduces the cost of the battery production process.This is because the batteries contain sodium instead of costly materials such as lithium, cobalt or nickel.Enn Lust is head of the Institute of Chemistry at Tartu University.He told reporters with Reuters news agency that peat "doesn't cost anything, really."
