Paving the way for more sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling routes

This study evaluates global, currently existing industrial lithium-Ion battery (LIB) recycling processes from a technical, economic as well as environmental point of view. The focus lies in the comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of these technologies in one single flexible model. Out of several analyzed publications, nine different industrial life cycle inventories were analyzed in detail and compared via LCA with similar system boundaries and background data. Minor adjustments were made to ensure a fair comparison. The results indicate variations in the degree of detail among the utilized inventories, with discrepancies observed, such as variations in coverage of pretreatment steps. This study identified trends indicating that hydrometallurgical treatments offer greater potential for reducing environmental burdens. This is primarily attributed to the wider range of materials recovered. Additionally, the LCA results of the complete life cycle of a LIB were analyzed using two different calculation approaches: the widely used End-of-Life (EoL) approach in LCA and the circular footprint formula (CFF), a recently introduced methodology by the European Union.