In the world of electrification, data is more crucial than ever for the rapid decarbonization of battery usage. Batteries have an environmental impact, and there is much more work to be done to reduce it. Minviro and About:Energy have teamed up to provide new insights into battery sustainability, focusing on the impact of specific cell types to accelerate the achievement of net zero. With new EU regulation such as the Battery Passport, more data is needed to understand battery Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics. About:Energy's Voltt and Minviro's Battery LCA collaborate to capture and analyze battery data, including raw materials and lifespan, and leverage extensive environmental databases to calculate metrics such as carbon footprints, essential to the battery value chain.
Key Takeaways:
Sustainability should be a key criterion in the design and use of batteries. However, it is rarely considered in decision-making during battery pack programs because ESG data on batteries are sparse, unverified, or inconsistent.
The chemical composition of batteries is a key factor in determining the amount of embedded carbon, but this information is often not transparent. Providing this data would enable more sustainable decision-making for downstream users.
The lifetime of a battery significantly impacts its carbon footprint, as the carbon emitted during manufacturing and production is amortized over its lifetime.
The E in ESG
With environmental impact quantification concerns, standardized and robust scientific methods are crucial, especially in the battery industry and its competitive landscape, allowing for benchmarking. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, rooted in ISO14040/44 standards, has been applied in various industries (i.e building materials) for over three decades, yet it is nowadays that LCA is gaining momentum in the mining and metals industry. LCA significance is further underscored by its inclusion in legislative frameworks like the EU Battery Regulation and EU Critical Raw Materials Act.
Several EU manufacturers, including Northvolt, Verkor and FREYR, have embraced sustainability as a core metric and a means of differentiation. For example, Northvolt has committed to adopting a low-carbon, sustainable battery manufacturing process powered by 100% renewable energy. It is noteworthy that energy consumption can account for 30-50% of a battery's carbon footprint.
The intricacies within battery supply chains, involving multiple players (i.e upstream, midstream and downstream) and process stages (i.e mining, refining, cathode active material manufacturing, cell manufacturing, end-of-life), make the LCA methodology a perfect pairing. This is because the LCA methodology excels at analysing individual processes and their distinct environmental impacts while providing a holistic understanding of their interconnectedness throughout supply chains and across the life cycle of a product.
Data is key
The inherent strength (or vulnerability) of the LCA methodology lies in its reliance on high quality foreground and background data. In simpler terms, how good the data is that goes into the LCA model determines the quality of the impact results it produces. Adding in this extra layer of complexity to the equation, we confront the vast supply chains intricately woven within the battery industry. Digital product passports like battery passports are expected to provide a solution to this complexity, with upcoming applications on the horizon in 2027 for batteries sold in Europe.
Ensuring effective primary data collection is key, complemented using credible and accurate secondary background impact databases. Especially when it comes to environmental impact assessments.
Certainly, there is a demand for trustworthy decarbonization strategies, more transparency, and, particularly, the need for collaborative efforts within value chains. This collaborative push involves supply chain actors actively sharing data among supply chain participants, thereby enhancing metrics' reliability (i.e carbon footprint). About:Energy solution’s data enables a precise evaluation of a battery's carbon footprint. Companies can use this data in combination with Minviro’s Battery LCA solution to get insights on carbon emissions and to develop greener, more sustainable battery technologies.
Cradle to Gate: Chemical Insight
Leveraging data has become essential for companies aiming to improve performance metrics. Thousands of businesses globally rely on cells from top manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, and Molicel. This widespread adoption highlights the need to provide a comprehensive view of sustainability to end-users.
In an earlier blog post, About:Energy dismantled three batteries, including the Molicel P45B cell (NCA, high power), LG M50LT (NMC, high energy), and the Lithium Werks M1B cell (LFP, long life). Although these cylindrical batteries, used in e-mobility applications, appear similar on the surface, a different truth and impact lie inside.
This analysis sheds light on the material intensity distinctions among cells, which translate into significantly different carbon footprints, as measured with a cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. This time, additional factors are considered in the carbon footprint calculations. Minviro’s Battery LCA utilizes the exact chemical composition of batteries provided by About:Energy and integrates this with leading ISO-certified LCA processes. This approach enhances the understanding of how raw materials and manufacturing processes for batteries contribute to providing granular and accurate environmental impact information. In LCA, the functional or reference unit is crucial because it enables the comparison of products with similar functionalities. This unit is typically kg or kWh depending on the product being assessed. The graph shows Molicel P45B, Lithium Werks M1B, and LG M50 LT cells' carbon footprints, with Molicel having the highest and LG the lowest kg CO2-eq per kWh from cradle-to-gate.
Gate to Grave: Lifetime Matters!
The new European battery regulation requires the total energy provided by the battery over its expected service life to be evaluated, meaning that battery lifetime must be included into the carbon footprint. This means that battery lifetime must be included into the carbon footprint. The total energy is calculated by considering the battery's service life and energy capacity. The service life, depending on the battery's application (e.g., in light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles, or energy storage systems), can be measured in kilometers or directly in cycles. To offer a preliminary perspective on the carbon footprint, considering cycles, Minviro conducted a calculation based on the lifetime capacity of the cells. Additionally, they accounted for capacity degradation, assuming an 80% State of Health, 100% Depth of Discharge, and 100% round-trip and charging efficiencies. The cycles are as follows: 1000 for LG M50LT, 500 for Molicel P45B cell, and 2000 for Lithium Werks M1B. The Lithium Werks LFP cell has the lowest lifetime impact due to its longer cycle life. This is an important consideration, especially for novel chemistries like sodium-ion, where cycle life is a competitive factor.
The relationship between a battery's lifetime and its potential carbon footprint suggests that an increase in cycle life can lead to a decrease in environmental lifetime impact. Notably, the Lithium Werks cell, with its long life, stands out as having the potential for exceptionally low lifetime impacts. These insights provide companies with an added incentive to extend battery lifetimes, aiming not only to reduce the total cost of ownership but also to lessen the environmental toll. While data from manufacturer datasheets offers a starting point, the actual lifetime can vary greatly based on usage. Therefore, detailed battery degradation testing and pack modeling are essential to obtain an accurate forecast for specific use cases.
Estimation of carbon footprint for different cycles of each cell, considering the impact of use case in the LCA.
Closing remarks
The automotive industry, driven by stringent regulations, is increasingly focused on reducing vehicle carbon footprints through Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) that encompass production to disposal. The European Union's directives exemplify this, as they compel car manufacturers to consider the full environmental impact of their vehicles. Central to this is the sustainability of batteries, with material composition and degradation being a crucial factor. The varying impacts of battery manufacturing and usage call for an in-depth understanding to mitigate environmental effects. This knowledge empowers stakeholders in automotive, aerospace, and e-mobility to select and design batteries with reduced carbon footprints, guiding the industry towards sustainability.
Spot-on software
Minviro's Battery LCA solution goes beyond the norm, not only calculating battery carbon footprints but also up to 16 environmental impact categories (i.e resource use, water use) for supply chain-specific battery raw materials. Minviro’s Battery LCA leverages Minviro's proprietary database for key raw material supply chains, ensuring accuracy down to region-specific cathode and anode component impacts, in alignment with EU regulatory requirements. Battery LCA can be used proactively in the battery development process to ensure environmentally-informed decision making at all stages of the project lifetime, and mitigate environmental impacts before they occur.
About:Energy's Voltt provides industry with access to parameterisation data and models describing commercially available Li-ion batteries, for use in engineering decision-making and models of battery systems. The Voltt platform is a significant development in battery modelling technology, providing a comprehensive solution for battery design, testing, and optimisation. The platform provides the tools needed to shorten R&D timelines, whilst increasing battery performance, reducing development risk, and lifting ROI on existing simulation resource.
