Life cycle assessment of recycled NiCoMn ternary cathode materials prepared by hydrometallurgical technology for power batteries in China

Power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are core components of electric vehicles (EVs), and the cathode material is the key to the performance of LIBs. Nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide (NCM) cathode formulations have emerged as dominant choices in the battery industry. This work presents a life cycle assessment of recycled NCM ternary cathode materials produced from spent batteries in China. The environmental impacts of virgin and recycled material production were compared based on the ReCiPe 2016 method. The results demonstrated that the highest environmental pressure was generated during the leaching and extraction process due to the high consumption of electricity and auxiliary materials, which contributed nearly half to all three endpoint impact categories. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the environmental impacts of the leaching and extraction process could be effectively reduced by optimizing the production process to reduce the consumption of sulfuric acid, electricity, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium hydroxide. The comparative results indicated that the production of recycled NCM materials consumes 74% less energy, and compared to virgin NCM materials, the three endpoint environmental impact categories are reduced by 72%, 59% and 57%. Comparison of the global warming potential (GWP) between different recycling techniques in the literature indicated that the GWP of hydrometallurgical technology is lower. In addition, we estimated the GWP reduction potential per kg under optimized power scenarios. The annual GWP reduction and energy savings benefits of recycling in China from 2021 to 2035 were predicted. Based on the results, it is necessary to maintain high recycling rates through a variety of initiatives. This Chinese case study demonstrated that the adoption of cathode material production by recycling spent power LIBs through cleaner technology is of great practical significance for resource conservation and sustainable development of the EV industry.