Estimating the cost of organic battery active materials: a case study on anthraquinone disulfonic acid

Redox-active organic molecules (ROMs) are an attractive alternative to the inorganic, charge-storing compounds typically used in modern batteries as they exhibit potentially superior electrochemical properties, a wide materials design space, and an abundance of raw constituent materials, which, in turn, may open pathways to inexpensive energy storage. However, as most of these molecules are not produced on a commercial scale, assessing the cost proposition of new ROMs is a challenging but critical task for projecting the economic viability of incipient battery technologies. Here, we evaluate different cost estimation methods, explain their application, and determine their practicality for newly developed materials. For this purpose, we use anthraquinone disulfonic acid as a benchmark material, as this compound has been proposed for redox flow batteries and is already produced on an industrial scale. Our results show that simple cost estimation methods are easy to apply but ultimately fail to provide reliable cost information due to their limited accuracy. In contrast, more advanced methods offer more consistent and precise cost estimates but depend on detailed process knowledge rarely obtainable for new organic molecules. Furthermore, our cost analysis proves the feasibility of ROMs at the costs necessary to enable grid storage technologies that meet established cost targets.