Knowledge Agora



Similar Articles

Title Can circular economy and cathode chemistry evolution stabilize the supply chain of Li-ion batteries?
ID_Doc 27445
Authors Mayyas, A; Moawad, K; Chadly, A; Alhseinat, E
Title Can circular economy and cathode chemistry evolution stabilize the supply chain of Li-ion batteries?
Year 2023
Published
Abstract The adoption of electric vehicles in recent years has resulted in significant changes to the supply chain of many elements such as cobalt and lithium. A rise in electric vehicle sales has put increasing pressure on limited supplies of cobalt and lithium; to facilitate access to these commodities, many manufacturers have established close working relationships with suppliers. Cathode evolution focuses on reducing the amount of cobalt in the cathode layers and increasing the amount of nickel without compromising the electrical characteristics and durability of the cells. While such a trend alone cannot relieve the stress on critical material supplies, the industry also works on recycling high-value materials from end-of-life batteries which can help secure sustainable sources of cheaper, yet environmentally-friendly materials. A quick glance at the present supply chain shows that China is leading the world in terms of investment in the cobalt mining industry in Africa, refining and processing raw materials, cell production, and in the number of the produced and sold electric vehicles. Lithium is another critical material, but its supply chain is more diverse and production capacity can be increased easier than that of cobalt, thus making it less critical from the supply perspective. This vertical integration has given China more advantages in securing required materials for its local manufacturers and at the same time left other international manufacturers puzzled about how they can secure flows of critical materials for their growing production needs. Adoption of effective recycling methods such as hydrometallurgical means, can partly but not fully offset the gap between demands and supplies in many regions around the world.
PDF

Similar Articles

ID Score Article
28142 Baars, J; Domenech, T; Bleischwitz, R; Melin, HE; Heidrich, O Circular economy strategies for electric vehicle batteries reduce reliance on raw materials(2021)Nature Sustainability, 4.0, 1
10515 Dunn, J; Slattery, M; Kendall, A; Ambrose, H; Shen, SH Circularity of Lithium-Ion Battery Materials in Electric Vehicles(2021)Environmental Science & Technology, 55, 8
20781 Karabelli, D; Kiemel, S; Singh, S; Koller, J; Ehrenberger, S; Miehe, R; Weeber, M; Birke, KP Tackling xEV Battery Chemistry in View of Raw Material Supply Shortfalls(2020)
3795 Hu, ZM; Yu, BY; Daigo, I; Tan, JX; Sun, FH; Zhang, ST Circular economy strategies for mitigating metals shortages in electric vehicle batteries under China's carbon-neutral target(2024)
6034 Pratap, B; Mohan, TVK; Amit, RK; Venugopal, S Evaluating circular economy strategies for raw material recovery from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries: A system dynamics model(2024)
22785 Collis, GE; Dai, Q; Loh, JSC; Lipson, A; Gaines, L; Zhao, YY; Spangenberger, J Closing the Loop on LIB Waste: A Comparison of the Current Challenges and Opportunities for the U.S. and Australia towards a Sustainable Energy Future(2023)Recycling, 8.0, 5
29920 Jones, EC Jr Lithium Supply Chain Optimization: A Global Analysis of Critical Minerals for Batteries(2024)Energies, 17.0, 11
4958 Islam, MT; Iyer-Raniga, U Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling in the Circular Economy: A Review(2022)Recycling, 7, 3
7129 Wesselkämper, J; Dahrendorf, L; Mauler, L; Lux, S; von Delft, S A battery value chain independent of primary raw materials: Towards circularity in China, Europe and the US(2024)
6735 Neidhardt, M; Mas-Peiro, J; Schulz-Moenninghoff, M; Pou, JO; Gonzalez-Olmos, R; Kwade, A; Schmuelling, B Forecasting the Global Battery Material Flow: Analyzing the Break-Even Points at Which Secondary Battery Raw Materials Can Substitute Primary Materials in the Battery Production(2022)Applied Sciences-Basel, 12, 9
Scroll