Lithium-based battery systems: Technological and environmental challenges and opportunities

Abstract

The efforts of decarbonization and reduction of greenhouse gases emissions are among the most important agendas of the United Nations. Many countries adopted those objectives by enacting internal policies and increasing the share of renewable energies and thus contributing to the reduction of fossil fuels dependency. Thus there is an increasing interest in the development of efficient energy storage systems, such as rechargeable batteries, that play a key role in modern lifestyle. Energy storage systems are needed for portable devices and also to power electric vehicles, the challenge being to obtain systems with high energy density,security, recyclable and with lifetime service adequate for each application. However, a heavy reliance on this technology will lead to an increasing demand for lithium and other materials needed for battery manufacturing, leading to dependence on these resources and bringing in scarcity issues similar to those observed with fossil fuels. This chapter provides an overview on the developments on the different lithium battery systems, through the description of the main concepts and components, evaluating efficiency and performance. New concepts for such systems are also presented, including printed and stretchable batteries. The description of the recycling processes and environmental issues caused by lithium-ion batteries are addressed focusing on the main recycling methods.