Abstract
Batteries have been extensively used in many applications; however, very little is explored regarding the possible environmental impacts for their whole life cycle, even though a lot of studies have been carried out for augmenting performance in many ways. This research paper addresses the environmental effects of two different types of batteries, lithium-ion (LiIo) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, in terms of their chemical constituents. Life cycle impact analysis has been carried out by the CML, ReCiPe, EcoPoints 97, IPCC, and CED methods. The impacts are considered in categories such as global warming, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results reveal that there is a significant environmental impact caused by nickel-metal hydride batteries in comparison with lithium-ion batteries. The reason behind these impacts is the relatively large amount of toxic chemical elements which are present as constituents of NiMH batteries. It can be anticipated that a better environmental performance can be achieved through optimization, especially by cautiously picking the constituents, taking into account the toxicity aspects, and by minimizing the impacts related to these chemicals.
Highlights
Batteries are important to run the modern world, providing energy for sectors and products from large-scale industries, to electric vehicles, to the smallest electronic items
The outcomes of the Lifecycle assessment (LCA) analysis are expressed in percentages, setting the maximum impact equal to 100 for comparison
nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries by the Raw Material Flows (RMF), CML, ReCiPe, Eco-points 97, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) methods are depicted in the following subsections
Summary
Batteries are important to run the modern world, providing energy for sectors and products from large-scale industries, to electric vehicles, to the smallest electronic items. They are a ubiquitous backup to retain an uninterrupted supply of power. The increased usage implies an expansion of end-of-life disposal of the exhausted batteries These batteries contain cadmium, lead, mercury, copper, zinc, manganese, lithium, or potassium, which are extremely hazardous to the environment regarding toxicity and human health effects. These chemicals are unhygienic and can affect the environment severely. It is essential to quantify the possible environmental impacts for the whole life cycle of LiIo and NiMH batteries to save the environment and to guide policymakers or researchers
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