Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis
Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling and Life Cycle Analysis
Examining the material demand and recycling issues related to lithium-ion batteries
To identify the potential impacts of the growing market for automotive lithium-ion batteries, Argonne researchers are examining the material demand and recycling issues related to lithium-ion batteries. Research includes:
- Conducting studies to identify the greenest, most economical recycling processes,
- Investigating recycling practices to determine how much of which materials could be recovered with current or improved methods, and
- Quantifying the environmental impacts of both battery production and recycling processes through life-cycle analyses using Argonne’s GREET model.
Researchers leverage Argonne’s BatPaC model to determine the material compositions needed to perform life-cycle analyses on different lithium-ion battery chemistries.
Featured Publications
- “Material and Energy Flows in the Production of Cathode and Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries,” Argonne National Laboratory, report no. ANL/ESD-14/10 Rev (2015).
- “The significance of Li-ion batteries in electric vehicle life-cycle energy and emissions and recycling’s role in its reduction,” Energy & Environmental Science 8, 158-168 (2015).
- “The future of automotive lithium-ion battery recycling: charting a sustainable course,” Sustainable Materials and Technologies 1-2: 2-7 (2014).
- “Recovery of metals from spent lithium-ion batteries with organic acids as leaching reagents and environmental assessment,” Journal of Power Sources 233: 180-189 (2013).
- “Impact of recycling on cradle-to-gate energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of automotive lithium-ion batteries,” Environmental Science & Technology 46(22): 12704-12710 (2012).
- “To recycle, or not to recycle, that is the question: Insights from life-cycle analysis,” MRS Bulletin 37(4): 333-338 (2012).