Life Cycle Assessment of the Production Process of Lithium-Ion Cylindrical Cell Batteries

Environmental impact reduction, energy efficiency and optimization of material resources are basic aspects of the design and dimensioning of a production process. This study aims to identify and characterize the environmental impacts associated with the lithium-ion cylindrical cell battery production process. In this way, the less sustainable elements and processes can be identified, quantifying their characteristic impact and their origin. To do this, the internationally recognized methodology Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the SimaPro 9.1 life cycle analysis software, the Ecoinvent 3.5 environmental database and the ReCiPe 2016 impact assessment method were used. Thereafter, environmental impacts have been modelled and quantified following the dual midpoint-endpoint approach and the gate-to-gate time-arc model based on the traditional production model. The results showed that the battery ageing, calibration, and testing process was the process with the highest environmental impact (53.97 mPt) and that the negative collector was the element with the highest environmental impact (13.49 mPt). These results will allow lithium-ion cylindrical cell battery manufacturers to identify the most environmentally unfavourable elements and processes and to propose/develop new solutions and/or alternative techniques to produce more efficient and sustainable batteries. Thus, a new dimension can be introduced into the production decision-making process.