Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is widely recognized as the most promising battery technology for future electric vehicles (EV). To understand the environmental sustainability performance of Li-S battery on future EVs, here a novel life cycle assessment (LCA) model is developed for comprehensive environmental impact assessment of a Li-S battery pack using a graphene sulfur composite cathode and a lithium metal anode protected by a lithium-ion conductive layer, for actual EV applications. The Li-S battery pack is configured with a 61.3 kWh capacity to power a mid-size EV for 320km range. The life cycle inventory model is developed with a hybrid approach, based on our lab-scale synthesis of the graphene sulfur composite, our lab fabrication of Li-S battery cell, and our industrial partner's battery production processes. The impacts of the Li-S battery are assessed using the ReCiPe method and benchmarked with those of a conventional Nickle-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM)-Graphite battery pack under the same driving distance per charge. The environmental impact assessment results illustrate that Li-S battery is more environmentally friendly than conventional NCM-Graphite © 2017. This manuscript version is made available under the Elsevier user license http://www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ 2 battery, with 9%~90% lower impact. Finally, the improvement pathways for the Li-S battery to meet the USABC (U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium) targets are presented with the corresponding environmental impact changes. Keyword: Lithium sulfur battery, graphene wrapped sulfur, lithium metal anode, life cycle assessment, environmental impact 1.

No abstract

No abstract

Perovskite solar cells have attracted enormous attention in recent years due to their low cost and superior technical performance. However, the use of toxic metals, such as lead, in the perovskite dye and toxic chemicals in perovskite solar cell manufacturing causes grave concerns for its environmental performance. To understand and facilitate the sustainable development of perovskite solar cell technology from its design to manufacturing, a comprehensive environmental impact assessment has been conducted on titanium dioxide nanotube based perovskite solar cells by using an attributional life cycle assessment approach, from cradle to gate, with manufacturing data from our laboratory-scale experiments and upstream data collected from professional databases and the literature. The results indicate that the perovskite dye is the primary source of environmental impact, associated with 64.77% total embodied energy and 31.38% embodied materials consumption, contributing to more than 50% of the life cycle impact in almost all impact categories, although lead used in the perovskite dye only contributes to about 1.14% of the human toxicity potential. A comparison of perovskite solar cells with commercial silicon and cadmium-tellurium solar cells reveals that perovskite solar cells could be a promising alternative technology for future large-scale industrial applications.

Abstract

No abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely promoted as clean alternatives to conventional vehicles for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ground transportation. However, the battery undergoes a sophisticated degradation process during EV operations and its effects on EV energy consumption and GHG emissions are unknown. Here we show on a typical 24 kWh lithium-manganese-oxide–graphite battery pack that the degradation of EV battery can be mathematically modeled to predict battery life and to study its effects on energy consumption and GHG emissions from EV operations. We found that under US state-level average driving conditions, the battery life is ranging between 5.2 years in Florida and 13.3 years in Alaska under 30% battery degradation limit. The battery degradation will cause a 11.5–16.2% increase in energy consumption and GHG emissions per km driven at 30% capacity loss. This study provides a robust analytical approach and results for supporting policy making in prioritizing EV deployment in the U.S.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is the most frequent cause of drug-induced acute liver failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether paeonol protected against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. Mice treated with paeonol (25, 50, 100 mg/kg) received 400 mg/kg acetaminophen intraperitoneally (i.p.) and hepatotoxicity was assessed. Pre-treatment with paeonol for 6 and 24 h ameliorated APAP-induced hepatic necrosis and significantly reduced the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels in a dose-dependent manner. Post-treatment with 100 mg/kg paeonol ameliorated APAP-induced hepatic necrosis and reduced AST and ALT levels in the serum after APAP administration for 24 h. Western blot revealed that paeonol inhibited APAP-induced phosphorylated JNK protein expression but not p38 and Erk1/2. Moreover, paeonol showed anti-oxidant activities with reducing hepatic MDA contents and increasing hepatic SOD, GSH-PX and GSH levels. Paeonol dose-dependently prevented against H2O2 or APAP-induced LDH releasing and ROS production in primary mouse hepatocytes. In addition, the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory genes such as TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β and IL-6 in the liver were dose-dependently reduced by paeonol pre-treatment. Pre-treatment with paeonol significantly inhibited IKKα/β, IκBα and p65 phosphorylation which contributed to ameliorating APAP-induced hepatic inflammation. Collectively, the present study demonstrates paeonol has a protective ability against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and might be an effective candidate compound against drug-induced acute liver failure.