Separation of cathode particles and aluminum current foil in lithium-ion battery by high-voltage pulsed discharge Part II: Prospective life cycle assessment based on experimental data

Yasunori Kikuchi; Izuru Suwa; Aya Heiho; Yi Dou; Soowon Lim; Takao Namihira; Kazuhiro Mochidzuki; Taketoshi Koita; Chiharu Tokoro

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.016

Separation of cathode particles and aluminum current foil in lithium-ion battery by high-voltage pulsed discharge Part II: Prospective life cycle assessment based on experimental data

Waste Manag. 2021 Aug 1:132:86-95. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.016. Epub 2021 Jul 27.

Authors

Yasunori Kikuchi¹, Izuru Suwa², Aya Heiho³, Yi Dou³, Soowon Lim⁴, Takao Namihira⁵, Kazuhiro Mochidzuki⁶, Taketoshi Koita⁴, Chiharu Tokoro⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan; Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan; Presidential Endowed Chair for "Platinum Society", Organization for Interdisciplinary Research Project, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. Electronic address: ykikuchi@ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
² Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.
³ Presidential Endowed Chair for "Platinum Society", Organization for Interdisciplinary Research Project, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
⁴ Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
⁵ Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan.
⁶ Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; Retoca Laboratory LLC, 3-9-1 Maebarahigashi, Funabashi, Chiba 274-0824, Japan.
⁷ Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; Department of Systems Innovation, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.

PMID: 34325331
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2021.07.016

Abstract

This series of papers addresses the recycling of cathode particles and aluminum (Al) foil from positive electrode sheet (PE sheet) dismantled from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by applying a high-voltage pulsed discharge. As concluded in Part I of the series (Tokoro et al., 2021), cathode particles and Al foil were separated in water based on a single pulsed power application. This separation of LIB components by pulsed discharge was examined by means of prospective life cycle assessment and is expected to have applications in LIB reuse and recycling. The indicators selected were life cycle greenhouse gas (LC-GHG) emissions and life cycle resource consumption potential (LC-RCP). We first completed supplementary experiments to collect redundant data under several scale-up circumstances, and then attempted to quantify the uncertainties from scaling up and progress made in battery technology. When the batch scale of pulsed discharge separation is sufficiently large, the recovery of cathode particles and Al foil from PE sheet by pulsed discharge can reduce both LC-GHG and LC-RCP, in contrast to conventional recycling with roasting processes. Due to technology developments in LIB cathodes, the reuse of positive electrode active materials (PEAM) does not always have lower environmental impacts than the recycling of the raw materials of PEAM in the manufacturing of new LIB cathodes. This study achieved a proof of concept for resource consumption reduction induced by cathode utilization, considering LC-GHG and LC-RCP, by applying high-voltage pulsed discharge separation.

Keywords: Cobalt recovery; Greenhouse gas emissions; Positive electrode active materials; Resource consumption potential; Spent lithium-ion batteries.

MeSH terms

Aluminum*
Animals
Electric Power Supplies
Electrodes
Life Cycle Stages
Lithium*
Prospective Studies
Recycling

Substances

Lithium
Aluminum