Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation

Global efforts to tackle climate change and the rise in popularity of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices have engendered a demand explosion for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Effectuated by the green and digital revolution, this exponential rise in the demand for LIBs raises a host of...

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Main Authors: Anil Kumar Vinayak, Matthew Li, Xiaozhou Huang, Pei Dong, Khalil Amine, Jun Lu, Xiaolei Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-10-01
Series:Next Materials
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282400128X
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author Anil Kumar Vinayak
Matthew Li
Xiaozhou Huang
Pei Dong
Khalil Amine
Jun Lu
Xiaolei Wang
author_facet Anil Kumar Vinayak
Matthew Li
Xiaozhou Huang
Pei Dong
Khalil Amine
Jun Lu
Xiaolei Wang
author_sort Anil Kumar Vinayak
collection DOAJ
description Global efforts to tackle climate change and the rise in popularity of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices have engendered a demand explosion for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Effectuated by the green and digital revolution, this exponential rise in the demand for LIBs raises a host of logistical and environmental concerns centered around raw materials, such as metals lithium and cobalt, indispensable to its production. Exclusive reliance on mining to provide raw materials for LIB production introduces a supply risk and exacerbates the negative implications of mining operations. The long-term solution to avoid bottlenecks in LIB production is the creation of a circular economy by consolidating the LIB value chain with recycling, regeneration and upcycling operations. This paper presents a perspective on circular economies and explores the need to incorporate its principles for a sustainable lithium-powered future. The challenges impeding the development of a fully realized circular economy for LIBs and the ongoing research endeavors to overcome these challenges are also addressed.
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spelling doaj-art-69d26707f0ca4b359d710e4501ef3c642025-08-20T02:11:38ZengElsevierNext Materials2949-82282024-10-01510023110.1016/j.nxmate.2024.100231Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementationAnil Kumar Vinayak0Matthew Li1Xiaozhou Huang2Pei Dong3Khalil Amine4Jun Lu5Xiaolei Wang6Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, CanadaChemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, United StatesChemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, United States; Department of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, United StatesDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, United StatesChemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, United States; Corresponding authors.Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, United States; College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310027, PR China; Corresponding authors.Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 9211-116 Street NW, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada; Corresponding author at: Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, United States.Global efforts to tackle climate change and the rise in popularity of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices have engendered a demand explosion for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Effectuated by the green and digital revolution, this exponential rise in the demand for LIBs raises a host of logistical and environmental concerns centered around raw materials, such as metals lithium and cobalt, indispensable to its production. Exclusive reliance on mining to provide raw materials for LIB production introduces a supply risk and exacerbates the negative implications of mining operations. The long-term solution to avoid bottlenecks in LIB production is the creation of a circular economy by consolidating the LIB value chain with recycling, regeneration and upcycling operations. This paper presents a perspective on circular economies and explores the need to incorporate its principles for a sustainable lithium-powered future. The challenges impeding the development of a fully realized circular economy for LIBs and the ongoing research endeavors to overcome these challenges are also addressed.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282400128XClimate changeElectric vehiclesPortable electronicsLithiumSupply riskMining
spellingShingle Anil Kumar Vinayak
Matthew Li
Xiaozhou Huang
Pei Dong
Khalil Amine
Jun Lu
Xiaolei Wang
Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
Next Materials
Climate change
Electric vehicles
Portable electronics
Lithium
Supply risk
Mining
title Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
title_full Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
title_fullStr Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
title_full_unstemmed Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
title_short Circular economies for lithium-ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
title_sort circular economies for lithium ion batteries and challenges to their implementation
topic Climate change
Electric vehicles
Portable electronics
Lithium
Supply risk
Mining
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294982282400128X
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