Comparative Life Cycle Assessment between mining and recycling processes for obtaining lithium-ion battery metals

• Grant number: 24/17608-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Electrical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: José Augusto de Oliveira
• Grantee: Guilherme Oliveira dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental São João da Boa Vista. São João da Boa Vista , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increase in the consumption of materials present in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in electric vehicles (EVs) and electronic products raises scientific and economic concerns worldwide. Among these metals, lithium, copper, manganese, cobalt, and nickel stand out. The negative environmental impacts caused by obtaining these materials and their scarcity are significant challenges for global society. Currently, these metals can be extracted both from the Biosphere, through mining in natural reserves, and from the Technosphere, through urban mining technologies, especially recycling. In this context, assessing and comparing the efficiency and eco-efficiency rates of different technologies is essential to support decision-making processes in science, businesses, and public policy in pursuit of the Circular Economy. These results have not yet been deeply explored in the scientific literature and represent a theoretical and practical gap. Therefore, the aim of this research is to comparatively assess the efficiency, environmental performance, and eco-efficiency of a lithium mining process and a process for recycling LIBs through hydrometallurgy. Through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), a survey of journals will be conducted to provide the necessary data for the desired comparison, based on filters, inclusion criteria, and keywords (strings). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be used to determine and compare the targeted rates. To complement the obtained results, the research seeks to deepen the analysis of impact results for the generalization of their effects, especially using normalization and weighting activities with data from other parts of the world. Additionally, it is expected to analyze circularity metrics for the analyzed metals within the context of the Circular Economy. To carry out this activity, a Research Internship Abroad (BEPE) grant will be requested at the master's level at the Center for Industrial Ecology (CIE) at the University of Coimbra (UC), Portugal, under the supervision of Associate Professor Fausto Freire. This renowned researcher is a global reference in Circular Economy, LCA, among other approaches for evaluating and improving the sustainability of products and systems. The invitation letter from this renowned researcher and university attached to this proposal in SAGE reinforces the plan for this research activity. With this, the research is expected to produce relevant results for the scientific literature, business decisions, and government policies.