Environmental and economic assessment of a higher energy density and safer operation lithium-ion cell for stationary applications

Abstract

Europe has made significant progress in decarbonizing the planet by increasing the share of renewable energy, with solar, wind, and water being the primary sources of renewable electricity. Energy storage systems, especially batteries, are critical in integrating high shares of renewable energy and ensuring grid stability. Lithium-ion batteries are the preferred choice due to their acceptable cycle life, safe operation at high voltages, and high energy density. However, there is still room for improvement increasing energy density, safety during operation and producing sustainable batteries. This study has identified new materials that can be incorporated into a high-voltage Co-free spinel cathode cell to enhance its electrical performance and ensure safe operation. These materials include a silicon-containing carbonaceous composite as a long-life high-capacity anode active material and a custom-made porous separator based on PVDF, which facilitates the development of a gel-type electrolyte, improving the cell's safety and providing higher cyclability performance. The introduction of the new silicon-containing carbonaceous composite and the PVDF- based membrane is studied in this work from an environmental and economic perspective. An environmental study is performed using the LCA tool to evaluate the sustainability of the Lithium-ion cell production process. An economic study is also performed to calculate the cost of the cells, including raw materials, transport, production process, and externalities costs related to the production process. The Almagrid cell, which has a safer porous separator and an anode made of silicon-containing carbonaceous composite, showed enhanced safety and similar environmental performance compared to the reference cell. However, Almagrid technology will have the potential to improve its sustainability and cost when in-house synthesized components are optimized and scaled up becoming commercially available.