[email protected] – [email protected] Recycling of Li-ion and NiMH batteries from electric vehicles: technology and impact on life cycle Dr

[email protected] – [email protected]

Recycling of Li-ion and NiMH batteries from electricvehicles: technology and impact on life cycle

Dr. Jan Tytgat, General Manager, Umicore Battery Recycling, Olen, Belgium

Co-Author: Dipl.-Ing. Frank Treffer, Umicore Battery Recycling, Hanau-Wolfgang, Germany

[email protected] – [email protected] Belgian Platform EV 20110331

[email protected] – [email protected] 2

EHS

Volume

(H)EV market

Value

Metals: Y but

Compounds: N

Reuse: ?

Environment-health-safety

Regulatory framework:

EU: Raw Materials Initiative & Directives: Waste Framework, Battery, End of Life Vehicles

battery recycling will mainly be volume and regulatory driven

Recycling drivers

EV batteries are ‘industrial batteries’ recycling is compulsory


Economics

Technology

Material valueEconomy of scale

EnvironmentCore competenceState of the Art

LCA impact categoriesRecycling v. downcycling

Strategic choices

Several aspects to be considered!


Fundamental process options

sizeDedicated

Mainstream

Small, highly dedicated

processes: compound recovery

Mid-large size, early

standardization: element recovery

Large-huge size, connect to

mainstream processes

(steel, mining)

Focus on compound recovery (value); but:

• small volumes

• quality ?

• battery chemistry evolution (lifespan > 10 y)

difficult to get qualified

Rigid processes; no feed risks to avoid process disruptions.

Battery chemistry is complex and dynamic

Focus on metal recovery, designed for broad family ranges:

• robust process

• trend: less valuable metals

Scale effect

Umicore model

Strategic choices

Technology choice


Strategic choices

Combined Pyro + Hydro

Dismantling

Plastics

Al, Steel

Cu, BMS

Modules cellsmodules

smelter shredder

alloy slag flue dust fluff metals black mass

Refining(hydro)

Cu Fe Co Nimetal/compounds

Construction or Li/REE valorization

land fill(30%)

land fill(3%)

metal salts

graphite (land fill)

Remelting

sorting

Cu Fe Al

Hydro process

Combined Mechanical + Hydro

Umicore technology: combined Pyro + Hydro, because:

• Close to zero waste, full energy recovery

• Robust process, suited for all Li-ion + NiMH


The Umicore Battery Recycling processDismantling line at UBR Hanau

Project funded by BMU: LiBRI

Dismantling of battery packs to module level: possibility to sort ‘good’ modules


Ni

Fe Cu

INPUT

Ca/Si/Al/Mn aggregates

Co / Cu / Ni / Fe granulated alloy

OUTPUT

OUTPUT

Cement industry

Further Refining

Co Ni Fe

CuCoSX de-Fe de-Cu

Smelting

(CoCl2)

LiCoO2

+ Energy Valorization

AlloyRefining

Ni(OH)2

FiringWith LiCO3

Pure newBattery

Precursors+ oxidation(Co3O4)

NiSO4

Li (potential to recover)

RE’s

The Umicore Battery Recycling process

5 years of experience;

2011: new, improved smelter

EV modules

EV pack dismantling modules

Portable Rechargeable Batteries

Production scrap


New UBR battery smelter

Up & running: spring 2011

capacity: 7000 ton/y

No further dismantling, crushing,… : no exposure to operators and environment

For any size of batteries

Energy efficient; no hazardous emissions


Cu

Ni

AlLi

MnCo

REE

C

K

ClP

F

BO

H

CuNi Al LiMnCo REE

C

K

Cl

P

F

B

O

H

O

Recycled as products andby-products

Recovered

Emitted

Collected

Recycling Efficiency:

RE: Above

50% EU target

Fe

Fe


LCA definition according to ISO 14040

"A systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and energy and the associated environmental impacts directly attributable to the functioning of a product or service system throughout its life cycle.”

LCA: a tool for assessment of Environmental Impact


LCA is an iterative process


Inventory Classification Characterisation and Normalisation

CO2 Carcinogenicity

Respiratory organic pollutionRespiratory inorganic pollution

crude oil Radiation

Ozone layer depletion

NOX Climate change

EcotoxicityAcidification, eutrophication

iron (ore) Land use

Mineralsphosphates Fossil fuels

W e i g h t i n g

Indicators (points)Ecosystem

quality

Ressources

Human health

Essential: process of grouping and weighting


LCA studies involving Umicore Battery Recycling process

Overview:

Simplified LCA on battery cell from SAFT (battery chemistry LCO)

LCA on Prius battery (NiMH battery)

LCA on production of NMC active cathode material

Several ongoing LCA studies with customers, to be published in near future


Simplified LCA by SAFT

Goal & scope and selected impact categories:

to compare impact of recycling on CO2 production

and energy consumption for the production of a

Saft MP 176065 Integration® cell

Production of LiCoO2 material : Option 1 : from Ni, Co ores extracted from mines Option 2 : from Ni, Co recycled from Li-ion batteries

Data collection:

Option 1: Based on published data: www.informine.com; www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca and www.nickelinstitute.org

Option 2: based on Umicore information

Functional unit: production of 1 of these cells


Conclusions SAFTLess environmental impacts when LiCoO2 is produced from recycled Li-ion batteries


LCA on Prius NiMH battery by Oeko instituteGoal & scope: The general objectives of the LCA study are: To investigate the impact of nickel in rechargeable batteries, To identify the key environmental parameters influenced by the production, the use and the end of life; To identify areas for possible improvements To compare the net impact of driving a Prius vs. a conventional car.

Selected impact categories: Global Warming Potential Acidification Potential (air, water, soil) Eutrophication Potential Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential Use of non-renewable energy carriers Ozone depletion potential Depletion of mineral resources

Review: EMPA, Switzerland

Functional unit: production of 1 Prius pack + 150000 km use phase


LCA on Prius NiMH battery: impact of recycling

In order to assess the impact of recyling (Umicore process) on the production & use phaze, three scenarios are compared:

Scenario maximum battery collection and recycling: This scenario is designed to show the maximum effect of recycling. It implies a collection rate of 99 % and a transfer of all collected batteries to Umicore.

Scenario 50 % battery collection and recycling: This scenario implies a collection rate of 50 % and a transfer of all collected batteries to Umicore.

Scenario no battery collection and recycling

Following slides: only effect of recycling (0%, 50% or 100 %) is illustrated! Effects of use phase (hybrid driving versus

conventional driving): available on request.


LCA on Prius NiMH battery: conclusions for recycling Global Warming Potential (GWP) and non-renewable energy carriers: limited impact thanks to recycling because main GWP saving is realized during use phase, not during production and recycling phase

Ozone depletion: main source of zone depletion is production of PTFE (battery compound). As this is not recycled in Umicore’s process, no positive impact.

For all other selected impact parameters: excellent results

Without recycling, Acidification and Eutrophication would be ‘negative’ for NiMH driving (= worse compared to conventional car): primary Ni production releases SO2 and NOx in nature; fully neutral if recycled Ni is used


LCA on Prius NiMH battery: detailed results

-

2,0

4,0

6,0

8,0

10,0

12,0

14,0

16,0

kg SO2-eq 11,4 6 1 3,2 14,6 9,5 4,4

battery - no collection

battery - 50 % collection

battery - maximum collection

additional components

Total - no battery

collection

Total - 50 % battery

collection

Total - max. battery

collection

66%

30%

100 %

57%

14%

100 %

Acidification potential

Amount of SO2-equivalent produced for 1 functional unit

Impact of non-battery materials, but necessary for a hybrid car (mostly copper, steel, plastics)

Impact of battery materials only

Impact of battery materials + additional materials


LCA on Prius NiMH battery: detailed results

-

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1,0

1,2

kg PO4-eq 1,0 1 0 0,1 1,1 0,7 0,3





Total - no battery

collection


collection


collection

67 %

33 %

100 %

62 %

24 %

100 %

-

0,05

0,10

0,15

0,20

0,25

kg ethylen-eq 0,11 0,09 0,07 0,08 0,20 0,17 0,15





Total - no battery

collection


collection


collection

88 %

77 %

100 %

80%

60%

100 %

-2,0

-

2,0

4,0

6,0

8,0

10,0

12,0

14,0

16,0

18,0

20,0

kg Ni 17,8 9,7 1,6 -0,0 17,8 9,7 1,6





Total - no battery

collection


collection


collection

55 %

9 %

100 %

55 %

9 %

100 %

Eutrophication Potential

Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential

Depletion of mineral resources

For ‘additional components’, market average recycling schemes are assumed (100 % recycling is supposed as it fits within existing car recycling)


LCA on mixed oxide Li-ion battery (Ghent University)

Goal & scope:

What resources can be saved through recycling Li-ion batteries? Scenario A: cathode production from recycled Co, Ni (Mn into slag) Scenario B: cathode production from primary (ores) Co, Ni Credits for by-product from recycling were OUT of scope

Impact category:

natural resource consumption

Data acquisition:

Umicore for cathode production and recycling

Eramet, Xstrata

Eco-invent

Calculation method

In order to aggregate use of energy and materials in one figure, a unique quantifier is used: exergy; it is expressed in Joule

Review: EMPA, Switzerland

Functional unit: production of 1 kg of active cathode material (MNC-type)


LCA on mixed oxide Li-ion battery: Results

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Ni and Corecycled

Ni and Co fromores

transport

cathodeproduction

precursorproduction

CoSO4

NiSO4

MnSO4

Saving of 51 % natural resources mainly due to:

• eliminating high demanding Ni/CoSO4 from primary resources

• moderate demand of recycling in comparison with high demand of cathode production stages

• Mn is not considered as recycled (in slag, used as concrete additive)


Improved Umicore Battery Recycling process

Old UBR process uses cokes for technical reasons;

New UBR process no cokes

energy used and CO2 produced in new process: +/- 90 % below old process

CO2 produced for 1 ton batteries recycling

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Old UBR New UBR

un

its

CO

2 Electricity

Natural gas

Oxygen

Cokes

Energy consumed for 1 ton batteries recycling

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Old UBR New UBR

Electricity

Natural gas

Oxygen

Cokes


Conclusions

EV-battery recycling is technically feasible, beneficial for the environment and is imposed by law.

The installed battery recycling capacity can cope with growing EV-market

LCA is a powerful tool to assess the environmental impact of recycling processes; it helps to make environmentally sound decisions

In order to optimize the use of LCA, some guidelines should be developed to have a uniform LCA approach:

To compare processes and technologies To compare business models To compare performance To set targets

Documents

[email protected] – [email protected] Recycling of Li-ion and NiMH batteries from electric vehicles: technology and impact on life cycle Dr