LIFE CYCLE AND TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF END-OF-LIFE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

2023-8-08
Kamma, Chinwe Evangeline
Spent electric vehicle batteries poses a threat to the human, animate and inanimate component of the ecosystem. With the growing adoption of electric vehicles, spent electric vehicle batteries are bound to increase. Although the environmental impact of electric vehicles has been investigated by several studies, however, the majority of these studies did not account for the end-of-life of the electric vehicle batteries. More so, little or no studies have been conducted on the ecological impacts of spent electric vehicle batteries in the Mediterranean region. Thus, this study investigates the lifecycle and techno-economic analysis of spent electric vehicle batteries in six Mediterranean countries. The ecological footprint and economic performance of two identified end-of-life processes were evaluated. The results obtained evinced that among the car models assessed, Peugeot cars had the lowest GHG emissions compared to other car models evaluated despite having high market shares in some countries. Assessing the performance of EoL processes indicates that hydrometallurgy performed better than pyrometallurgy. The study also suggests that NMC batteries are well suited for hydrometallurgy because of the higher recovery rate in battery components. The results of the economic analysis showed that although recycling incentives accompany the recycling of LFP batteries, NMC batteries possess higher economic benefits largely due to the recovery of lithium compounds and other components of the battery.
Citation Formats
C. E. Kamma, “LIFE CYCLE AND TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF END-OF-LIFE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2023.