Barriers and Possibilities for a Circular Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Value Chain: A Qualitative Study of End-of-Life Opportunities
Master thesis
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3020353Utgivelsesdato
2022Metadata
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Sammendrag
The EV market is growing, and consequently, large amounts of batteries will be retired.However, the retired batteries have a significant capacity that may be utilized for a secondlife. This master thesis examines how LFP batteries can be utilized at the end of life. Thefollowing problem statement was used: How can LFP batteries become more sustainable atthe end of life, in terms of technology, economy, and environment? In addition, the researchquestion was used: What are the technological, economic, and environmental barriers andpossibilities for LFP batteries at the end of life?
A qualitative method was implemented to answer the problem statement and research question.Interviews with several researchers and industry players were conducted to collect the data. After the data was collected, it was analyzed and compared with the theory. Finally,the conclusion was drawn.
The findings of this master thesis show that some of the LFP batteries are discarded afterthe first life, which is harmful to the environment. However, the thesis concludes that LFPbatteries may be utilized for various second-life applications such as energy storage. This isdue to the advantages of the LFP battery, such as low cost and high safety. Nevertheless,the thesis also shows that LFP batteries can be evaluated after their first life. However, thewhole battery pack may be retired if one cell is damaged. For this reason, the screeningtechnology may be the solution because the damaged cells can be identified and changed.Finally, the thesis shows that there is less interest in recycling LFP batteries due to theirlow economic value. However, the regulations may help to motivate recyclers to recycle LFPbatteries.