Host: Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management
Name : The 31st Annual Conference of Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management
Number : 31
Location : [in Japanese]
Date : September 16, 2020 - September 18, 2020
Electric Vehicle (EV) is becoming more and more popular around the world and especially in China. As a result of such a tendency, Lithium-ion Battery (LiB) is gathering more attention ever than before. The LiB makers in China are putting constant efforts to upgrade LiB technology. On the other hand, as LiB market flourishes, a huge amount of End-of-Life LiB will be dumped. Since these LiBs consist huge amount of non-ferrous metal (such as copper and aluminum) and rare metal (such as nickel and cobalt), these waste LiB should be recycled properly to avoid resource waste and environmental pollution problems. Yet, the environmental performance and profitability of the LiB recycling industry in China are still unknown.
This research will clarify a detailed material flow of each component for LiB in China after estimating LiBs’ composition and their future transition. Then, we will evaluate the total environmental impact of a LiB in China using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. We will demonstrate the profitability of the LiB recycling industry in China, and the effect of the LiB recycling process on batteries’ environmental impact while considering the future change in batteries’ composition.
