Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains
Abstract Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can supplement critical materials and improve the environmental sustainability of LIB supply chains. In this work, environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, energy consumption) of industrial-scale production of battery-grade c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56063-x |
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| author | Michael L. Machala Xi Chen Samantha P. Bunke Gregory Forbes Akarys Yegizbay Jacques A. de Chalendar Inês L. Azevedo Sally Benson William A. Tarpeh |
| author_facet | Michael L. Machala Xi Chen Samantha P. Bunke Gregory Forbes Akarys Yegizbay Jacques A. de Chalendar Inês L. Azevedo Sally Benson William A. Tarpeh |
| author_sort | Michael L. Machala |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can supplement critical materials and improve the environmental sustainability of LIB supply chains. In this work, environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, energy consumption) of industrial-scale production of battery-grade cathode materials from end-of-life LIBs are compared to those of conventional mining supply chains. Converting mixed-stream LIBs into battery-grade materials reduces environmental impacts by at least 58%. Recycling batteries to mixed metal products instead of discrete salts further reduces environmental impacts. Electricity consumption is identified as the principal contributor to all LIB recycling environmental impacts, and different electricity sources can change greenhouse gas emissions up to five times. Supply chain steps that precede refinement (material extraction and transport) contribute marginally to the environmental impacts of circular LIB supply chains (<4%), but are more significant in conventional supply chains (30%). This analysis provides insights for advancing sustainable LIB supply chains, and informs optimization of industrial-scale environmental impacts for emerging battery recycling efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5148d1fc409a42489e14bce1a1da3c0e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-5148d1fc409a42489e14bce1a1da3c0e2025-01-26T12:41:39ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111410.1038/s41467-025-56063-xLife cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chainsMichael L. Machala0Xi Chen1Samantha P. Bunke2Gregory Forbes3Akarys Yegizbay4Jacques A. de Chalendar5Inês L. Azevedo6Sally Benson7William A. Tarpeh8Department of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Physics, Kenyon CollegeDepartment of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford UniversityDepartment of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford UniversityPrecourt Institute for Energy, Stanford UniversityAbstract Recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can supplement critical materials and improve the environmental sustainability of LIB supply chains. In this work, environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, energy consumption) of industrial-scale production of battery-grade cathode materials from end-of-life LIBs are compared to those of conventional mining supply chains. Converting mixed-stream LIBs into battery-grade materials reduces environmental impacts by at least 58%. Recycling batteries to mixed metal products instead of discrete salts further reduces environmental impacts. Electricity consumption is identified as the principal contributor to all LIB recycling environmental impacts, and different electricity sources can change greenhouse gas emissions up to five times. Supply chain steps that precede refinement (material extraction and transport) contribute marginally to the environmental impacts of circular LIB supply chains (<4%), but are more significant in conventional supply chains (30%). This analysis provides insights for advancing sustainable LIB supply chains, and informs optimization of industrial-scale environmental impacts for emerging battery recycling efforts.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56063-x |
| spellingShingle | Michael L. Machala Xi Chen Samantha P. Bunke Gregory Forbes Akarys Yegizbay Jacques A. de Chalendar Inês L. Azevedo Sally Benson William A. Tarpeh Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains Nature Communications |
| title | Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| title_full | Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| title_fullStr | Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| title_short | Life cycle comparison of industrial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| title_sort | life cycle comparison of industrial scale lithium ion battery recycling and mining supply chains |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56063-x |
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