LCA/LCC analysis of starting-lighting-ignition lead-acid battery in China

Yongxi Ma; Shuao Yu; Juanli Wang; Wei Yu

doi:10.7717/peerj.5238

LCA/LCC analysis of starting-lighting-ignition lead-acid battery in China

PeerJ. 2018 Jul 26:6:e5238. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5238. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Yongxi Ma^#^{1

2}, Shuao Yu^#³, Juanli Wang⁴, Wei Yu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.
² Ecological Civilization Research Center of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.
³ School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: China has the largest lead-acid battery (LAB) industry and market around the world, and this situation causes unavoidable emissions of Pb and other pollutants.

Methods: On the basis of a field survey on a starting-lighting-ignition (SLI) LAB plant in Zhejiang Province, this study applies life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methods to assess the environmental impacts and environment-related costs derived from the LAB industry during the life phases, including material preparation, battery assembly, transportation, and regeneration of the plant.

Results: Material preparation and regeneration phases contribute 3.4 and 42.2 g to Pb emission, respectively, and result in 3.29 × 10⁸ CHY of environmental cost for each function unit (1 KVA h LAB capacity). The material preparation phase is the largest mass contributor to global warming potential (GWP, 97%), photo-chemical oxidation potential (POCP, 88.9%), and eutrophication potential (EP, 82.5%) and produces 2.68 × 10⁸ CHY of environmental cost.

Discussion: Decision makers in the Chinese LAB industry should replace the pyrogenic process in smelting with the use of clean energy, increase the lead recovery rate while producing the same capacity of LABs, and develop new technologies to reduce heavy metal emission, especially in the regeneration phase.

Keywords: Environmental impact; Lead-acid battery; Life cycle assessment; Life cycle costing.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Key Research Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences for Ecological Civilization Research Center Project of Zhejiang Province, China (No. 15JDST05YB) and the Project of Philosophy and Social Sciences in Zhejiang Province (No. 15LLXC23YB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.