Life cycle environmental impacts of pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recovery processes for spent lithium-ion batteries: present and future perspectives

The recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) has critical resource and environmental benefits for the promotion of electric vehicles under carbon neutrality. However, different recovery processes will cause uncertain impacts especially when net-zero-carbon-emissions technologies are included. This paper investigates the pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recovery processes for spent ternary LiBs in China based on life cycle assessment framework, then simulates the environmental impacts under different carbon neutrality scenarios, in which the decarbonization of electricity generation, the reconstruction of industrial processes, and the promotion of hydrogen are considered. Results suggest that the current environmental impacts of pyrometallurgical recovery process is greater than that of hydrometallurgical recovery process. Abiotic Depletion Potentials of resources and fossil fuels (ADP element, ADP fossil) and Human Toxicity Potentials are the main indicators that cause these differences. Besides, a multi-scenarios simulation is conducted considering the innovation of carbon neutral technology and expansion of EVs market. It is found that the improvement in energy structure and industrial processes will significantly affect the environmental performance of each recovery process. The pyrometallurgical recovery process has great potentials to improve environmental benefits with net-zero transition of energy system. [GRAPHICS] .