Scientists at Virginia Tech university in the United States have developed a sugar-powered “biobattery” that they say stores 10 times more energy than the equivalent-size lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones, the Guardian reported.

According to the team of scientists, the results of their work could be practically applied within three years. Recharging could be a matter simply of adding more sugar.

The sugar battery releases energy from sugar instead of chemicals such as lithium, used in batteries found in normal electronic gadgets. This biobattery is a eco-friendly way to produce energy, according to the researchers.

The researchers reported their work in the latest issue of “Nature Communications.”

By Lee Shin-young, Intern reporter (sylee@heraldcorp.com)