Dr. Boris Monahov, Veteran of Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium, Joins Tydrolyte Advisory Board

Tydrolyte LLC announced that Dr. Boris Monahov, technical program manager for the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium and considered to be the world's top independent lead battery science and technology expert, is joining Tydrolyte's Advisory Board on January 1, 2019. He will advise Tydrolyte LLC on technical issues such as verification testing and will help the company establish customer relationships. Dr. Monahov joins former EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson on the Advisory Board that will assist Tydrolyte LLC in its mission to replace toxic sulfuric acid in the $40 billion lead battery market with a better performing, non-toxic substitute. 

Dr. Monavov is retiring on Dec. 31, 2018, from the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium where he has served for the past nine years. As technical program manager for the international research organization, he evaluated and managed programs comprising technical pre-competitive research projects for the lead battery industry with participation of many of the top global lead battery manufacturers and experts. He received his doctorate and habilitation as associate professor from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences where he was a student and co-worker for 25 years of the late Dr. Detchko Pavlov, author of the definitive textbook "bible" on lead acid batteries.

"Tydrolyte's ability to replace sulfuric acid is a unique and novel approach to evolving lead batteries. Based on initial test results the electrolyte appears to be one of the most significant technical advancements in the 150-year history of lead batteries," stated Dr. Monahov. "I am excited and honored to be part of Tydrolyte's efforts to make the lead battery even better."

Stephen L. Johnson, chair of Tydrolyte's Advisory Board, said, "Dr. Monahov is well-respected in the industry for his technical skills and his deep personal relationships with practically every major lead battery manufacturer globally. His expertise and stellar reputation in the industry will be an asset to Tydrolyte's advisory board as we work to help the company advance quickly toward commercialization."

Performance Testing

Dr. Monahov said he was encouraged by initial results from Tydrolyte's performance testing, which indicate benefits beyond eliminating the drawbacks of working with sulfuric acid. "Not only can Tydrolyte help manufacturers eliminate a wide range of costs associated with using sulfuric acid, such as safety, storage and disposal considerations, but initial test results show the new electrolyte improves some critical battery performance parameters," he said. 

Preliminary test results demonstrate that water loss at 60 °C and internal resistance can be reduced when using the Tydrolyte electrolyte, and the material keeps the proper charge-discharge performance of the battery. Reducing water loss at temperatures above 50 °C is a major challenge for lead batteries in automotive and energy storage applications today.

"These and other benefits may enable longer float life, cycle life and shelf life in lead batteries with Tydrolyte, significantly improving the economic value of lead batteries," Dr. Monahov said. "The other good news is that the new material doesn't require any significant changes to existing paste recipes, battery production technology or equipment. Battery manufacturers can switch easily to it."

Tydrolyte CEO Paul Bundschuh said the company has signed testing agreements with several of the largest U.S. and international lead battery manufacturers which are evaluating Tydrolyte in their batteries, but their specific results are confidential. "To have testing results available to the public, we contracted with Electric Applications Inc., a well-recognized battery testing and consulting firm that is a qualified test vendor for many of the largest U.S. lead battery companies," Bundschuh said. "Initial test results from EAI demonstrate that Tydrolyte significantly reduces water loss, DC resistance and improves shelf life." 

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