With the emergence of portable electronics and electric vehicle adoption, the last decade has witnessed an increasing fabrication of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The future development of LIBs is threatened by the limited reserves of virgin materials, while the inadequate management of spent batteries endangers environmental and human health. According to the Circular Economy principles aiming at reintroducing end-of-life materials back into the economic cycle, further attention should be directed to the development and implementation of battery recycling processes. To enable sustainable paths for graphite recovery, the environmental footprint of state-of-the-art graphite recycling through life cycle assessment is analyzed quantifying the contribution of nine recycling methods combining pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical approaches to indicators such as global warming, ozone layer depletion potential, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, or acidification. Laboratory-scale recycling is scaled up into pilot-scale processes able to treat 100 kg of spent graphite. With values ranging from 0.53 to 9.76 kg•CO 2 equiv. per 1 kg of graphite, energy consumption and waste acid generation are the main environmental drivers. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates a 20−73% impact reduction by limiting to onefourth the amount of H 2 SO 4 . Combined processes involving hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy give environmentally preferable results. The electrochemical performance of regenerated graphite is also compared with virgin battery-grade graphite. This work provides cues boosting the environmentally sustainable recycling of spent graphite from lithium-ion batteries, strengthening the implementation of circular approaches in the battery industry.
Sodium‐ion batteries (NIBs) are key enablers of sustainable energy storage. NIBs use Earth‐abundant materials and are technologically viable to replace lithium‐ion batteries in the medium term. Na3V2(PO4)3, as a popular cathode for NIBs, requires further improvements to boost its electrochemical performance, particularly regarding the rate capability and operational lifetime. These strategies involve the incorporation of carbonaceous materials, heteroatom doping, morphology modification, or biopolymer incorporation. Considering the circular economy actions to foster environmentally sustainable battery industries, there is an urgent need to disclose the environmental impacts of battery production. A cradle‐to‐gate life cycle assessment methodology is used to quantify, analyze, and compare the environmental impacts of ten representative state‐of‐the‐art Na3V2(PO4)3 cathodes. Impacts are disclosed for 18 indicators normalized to 1 kg of cathode considering laboratory‐scale approaches. Global warming potential values of 423.9–1380.0 kg CO2‐equiv. kgcathode −1 and 539.8–1622.1 kg CO2‐equiv. kWhcathode −1 are obtained considering Na3V2(PO4)3/Na half‐cell configuration. Simple carbon additives mixed with NVP provide a good CO2 footprint‐to‐storage capacity balance, although the sacrificed capacity retention hinders reuse strategies. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates a 16.9–38.0% reduction transitioning from fossil‐based to renewable‐based energy mix. Herein, it is aimed to support battery developers and assist future advances in the development of sustainable cathodes applied into beyond‐Li‐ion technologies.
Solid‐state batteries play a pivotal role in the next‐generation batteries as they satisfy the stringent safety requirements for stationary or electric vehicle applications. Notable efforts are devoted to the competitive design of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) acting as both the electrolyte and the separator. Although particular efforts to attain acceptable ionic conductivities and wide electrochemical stability widows are carried out, the environmental sustainability is largely neglected. To address this gap, here the cradle‐to‐gate environmental impacts of the most representative SPEs using life cycle assessment (LCA) are quantified. Raw material extraction and electrolyte fabrication are considered. Global warming potential values of 0.37–10.64 kg CO2 equiv. gelectrolyte −1 are achieved, where PEO/LiTFSI presents the lower environmental burdens. A minor role of the polymer fraction on the total impacts is observed, with a maximum CO2 footprint share of 0.61%. Following ecodesign approaches, a sensitivity analysis is performed to simulate industrial‐scale fabrication processes and explore environmentally friendlier scenarios. The electrochemical performance of SPEs is further analyzed into Li/LiFePO4 solid lithium metal battery cell configuration. Overall, these results are aimed to guide the ecologically sustainable design of SPEs and facilitate the implementation of next‐generation sustainable batteries.
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