Recycling of Battery Technologies - Ecological Impact Analysis Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

By the means of life cycle assessment (LCA), the ecological impact of recycling and reuse of materials of three battery technologies was analyzed: lead acid, lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow. Reuse of materials is considered through a cradle to cradle method, meaning the materials which can be reused count as a credit in the LCA. It is shown that the recycling and reuse by a good integrated recycling process lower the ecological impact by up to 49%. Some materials are highly influential. By substitution of these, the ecological impact can be lowered significantly.