Safe-and-sustainable-by-design redox active molecules for energy storage applications

Sustainability aspects have become a main criterion for design next to performance of material and product. Particularly the emerging field of energy storage and conversion is striving towards more sustainable solutions. However, implementing sustainability considerations during the design and development phase of energy materials and products is challenging due to the complexity and broadness of the different dimensions of sustainability. Here, we demonstrate that by using the principles of Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD), a concept can be formulated. This concept served as the basis for selecting and evaluating criteria and performance parameters aimed at enhancing the safety and sustainability aspects of redox active molecules in an organic redox flow battery. Following an iterative approach, the collected data provided valuable insights enabling us to fine-tune and enhance the materials and processes in alignment with the identified parameters. (Social) life cycle assessment focused on the workflow from sourcing, processing and generation of intermediate products to the quinone used in the redox flow batteries and revealed important insights, highlighting critical steps in the process chain. Additionally, we identified two specific points of intervention regarding solvent and quinone choice, based on sustainability parameters. The proposed solvent change resulted in a greener alternative [changed from tetrahydrofuran (THF) to 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran (MTHF)], and the ecotoxicity testing revealed MGQ and MHQS to be improved options. However, we also faced severe challenges regarding access to reliable LCA data on the raw material sourcing. Taken together, the modified designs led to safer and more sustainable redox active materials for both humans and the environment at lab scale. Implementing the results mentioned above to further expedite the technology will ultimately pave the way to more sustainable energy storage applications. This study proved the value of implementing of an SSbD concept in battery development is the main result of this study.