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E-mobility: the life cycle of
batteries.
Are we on a sustainable track?
Van den Bossche Peter
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Green Week 2014
Battery technologies
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Lifecycle of a battery
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Battery impact studies
• SUBAT programme (FP6)
• Assessment of sustainable battery
technologies
–Technical
–Economical
–Ecological
• Traction batteries
–Industrial
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Environmental impact
assessment
• Comparing the same functional unit
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Lead-acid recycling
• Mature technology
• Recycling widely established
• Recycling rates >99% for traction
batteries
• Economically effective process
–Fluctuating material cost
–Scrap batteries: up to 500€/T
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Nickel based recycling
• Full recycling process available
• Cadmium problem?
–Cadmium in traction batteries fully recyclable
–Environmentally responsible application
–Fatal production of cadmium
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Lithium batteries
• Now the leading technology for road electric
vehicles
• “Lithium-ion” encompasses various chemistries
– LFP
– NMC
– LCA
– LMO
– LTO
– ….
• Raw materials
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Battery disassembly
• Battery systems containing various
components including electronics
(Fig.: Umicore, EVS27)
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Lithium recycling
• Technologies: example Umicore process
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(Fig.: Umicore, EVS27)
Challenges
• Emerging technology
– Supply of spent batteries for recycling still limited
– Large scale recycling facilities to developed in the
future
• Economics of recycling
– Expensive materials: nickel, cobalt
– Cheap materials: LFP batteries
– Lithium now only recycled as secondary material (slag)
• European regulations
– Battery directive vs. End of Life directive
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Second life applications
• Conventional “end of life” at 80% initial
capacity
• Batteries are not “dead” yet
• Second life stationary applications
–Grid support
–Peak shaving
• State of health determination
–Need for standardization
• Battery assemblies
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Opportunities
• Construction phase
–Improvement of mineral extraction
–Reduced depletion of mineral resources:
material choice
–Critical raw materials for Europe
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Opportunities in use
phase
• Reducing primary energy consumption
–Mass reduction: improving energy density
–Efficiency improvement of batteries and
chargers
–Use of renewable energy
• Extending battery cycle life
–State of health determination
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Opportunities
• End-of life phase
–Second life applications
• Recycling !
–Recycling rate
–Recycling efficiency
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Conclusion
• EV’s are environmentally
friendly, whatever the battery
technology - the challenge is
to even improve this
environmental friendliness
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Thank you!
• pvdbos@vub.ac.be
• mobi.vub.ac.be
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