An Automated Workflow for the PCF Calculation of Battery Cells
摘要
The growing demand for sustainable battery production calls for advanced methodologies to efficiently assess environmental impacts. This is further driven by the European Battery Regulation, which imposes strict requirements on battery manufacturers regarding the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), resulting in significant effort. One major challenge is the lack of complete, scalable and company specific Life Cycle Inventories (LCI). Moreover, assessment approaches often fail to align with how LCI-relevant data is structured and accessed within companies, leading to data integration challenges. This paper presents an automated workflow for the PCF calculation and assessment of battery cells. The workflow includes a parameterized tool for generating LCIs adapted to the circumstances at a German battery manufacturer. It facilitates the calculation of key parameters, such as material weights, scrap and energy density, which serve as the basis for LCI and for defining the functional unit. In addition, KNIME Analytics is utilized to facilitate data wrangling, allowing for the seamless transfer of LCI data into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software. Lastly, the results are presented through an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI), allowing stakeholders to easily interpret and use the results.