Status : Verified
| Personal Name | Blaquera, Aimee Lorraine M. |
|---|---|
| Resource Title | Regeneration, cost-benefit analysis, and environmental impact assessment of nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathode material from spent lithium-ion batteries |
| Date Issued | 30 January 2025 |
| Abstract | Lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling aims to achieve sustainable resource recovery with lower environmental impacts compared to conventional mining extraction. This study investigated the direct regeneration of lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) cathode material from spent LIBs using mechano-chemical activation and solid-state sintering and evaluated its potential as an LIB recycling strategy through cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA). Stepwise investigation of the process parameters showed that pretreatment of spent NCA via calcination and direct regeneration with lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) as Li source and a sintering temperature of 800 °C produced crystalline NCA powders with highly ordered layered-oxide hexagonal structure and a composition of Li0.91Ni0.85Co0.15Al0.05O2. Agglomeration of irregularly-shaped particles with homogeneous elemental distribution was observed. CBA revealed an estimated net profit of PhP 97.43M, a return-on-investment rate (ROI) of 269%, and a net present value (NPV) of PhP 46.02M after a projected 10-year operation, showing the potential profitability of the pilot-scale direct regeneration of NCA. EIA using the EverBatt model estimated that the process requires 83.18 MJ of total energy and produces 10.45 kgCO2e in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) per kg of cathode produced. Impacts were mainly attributed to fossil fuel combustion in the upstream production of material input and energy use. These findings offer key insights into the study of direct regeneration, contributing to the industrialization efforts of LIB recycling to manage the growing volumes of LIB waste. |
| Degree Course | Master of Science in Environmental Engineering |
| Language | English |
| Keyword | lithium-ion battery recycling; direct regeneration; cost-benefit analysis; environmental impact analysis |
| Material Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Preliminary Pages
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Category : I - Has patentable or registrable invention of creation.
Access Permission : Limited Access