industrial ecology

Should high-cobalt EV batteries be repurposed? Using LCA to assess the impact of technological innovation on the waste hierarchy

Research Product Type
Associated Publication
This research assesses whether the development of reduced-cobalt energy dense cathode chemistry and the use of columnar silicon thin film anode will change the currently understood waste hierarchy of lithium-ion batteries, which prioritizes reuse or repurposing prior to recycling. The assessment considers the life cycle environmental impacts of two end-of-life management routes for a high-cobalt LIB: first, recycling the battery immediately after the first use life to produce a new, and less material intensive battery, and second, repurposing the battery for a stationary storage application followed by recycling.