Environmental Impact Assessment of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ Cathode Production for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

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.

Superionic Conductivity in Sodium Zirconium Chloride‐Based Compounds

“…The discharge capacity was 67 % of the theoretical capacity (117.5 mAh g −1 ) of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 . The charge‐discharge potential was ∼3.1 V, which is reasonable given the potentials of Na 15 Sn 4 and Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 [32–34] . These results indicate that the all‐solid‐state sodium battery with Na 0.67 Zr(SO 4 ) 0.33 Cl 4 as the solid electrolyte exhibits reasonable performance and that Na 0.67 Zr(SO 4 ) 0.33 Cl 4 is a sodium ionic conductor.…”

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment Bridging Biochemical, Thermochemical, and Electrochemical CO2 Reduction toward Sustainable Ethanol Synthesis

“…Notably, since the three processes under investigation rely on the conventional medium voltage electricity mix, green chemistry principles have not been applied to them . As mentioned previously, electricity generated from fossil-based power plants incurs tremendous environmental impacts, especially climate change and pollution .…”

“…Notably, since the three processes under investigation rely on the conventional medium voltage electricity mix, green chemistry principles have not been applied to them. 72 As mentioned previously, electricity generated from fossil-based power plants incurs tremendous environmental impacts, especially climate change and pollution. 66 Therefore, such a situation urges industries and researchers to opt for renewable electrical power supply as an alternative to drive the process, which aligns with the 17 SDGs proposed by United Nations and our ultimate goal toward future sustainability and carbon neutrality.…”

Environmental Impact Assessment of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 Hydrometallurgical Cathode Recycling from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…Considering that LCA can be used to evaluate the environmental burdens of a product or service through its life cycle, 34 the impacts on diverse indicators such as global warming potential (GWP), ozone layer depletion potential, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, or acidification are provided. 35,36 This work specifically focuses on the cathode-recycling and metal recovery phase having 1 kg of treated cathode functional unit. Using bench-scale quantities, we demonstrate the feasibility of hydrometallurgical recycling to enable natural resource conservation and protect ecosystems.…”