XNO delivers a Li-ion cell with low carbon footprint

These findings will have major benefits for battery producers and end users that are driven by sustainability.

XNO will provide an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional LTO battery anode materials, while simultaneously easing the strain on the global battery materials supply chain.

The growth of battery production is rightly under the spotlight and there are justifiable concerns about what electrification will mean for the planet, especially in the sustainable use of, and availability of, critical minerals. Results like these achieved by Ghent University (UGent) show that the battery industry can innovate to significantly reduce its environmental burdens.

The conclusion of the study found that the XNO significantly outperformed the LTO anode from a carbon footprint point of view. The research was led by Lígia da Silva Lima and colleagues from UGent, with the team concluding that not only were the emissions for XNO two times lower than LTO at the material level (kg CO2 equiv./kg material), but they were 2.5x lower at the unit of energy delivery or cell level.

Lígia da Silva Lima, PhD researcher, Sustainable Systems Engineering Research Group (STEN), Department Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, explained: “The assessment of environmental sustainability in battery production and service life will be very important for many in the battery supply chain but also for policymakers. Studies like ours will enable both government and industry to optimise the battery production process and to address environmental issues related to battery manufacturing. Our work will continue to help that process, and a more detailed paper entitled ‘A comparative life cycle assessment of a niobium-based and a lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) battery anode materials’ is in development for later publication”.

Commenting on the outcomes of the study, Echion’s Chief Technology Officer, Alex Groombridge said: “The results of the study proving that XNO has half the CO2 impact versus LTO are outstanding. This adds to the list of proven benefits that XNO can deliver in battery performance for cell manufacturers and OEM’s. High sustainability and low CO2 impact are an essential requirement for battery supply chains, which goes hand-in-hand with technical performance.”

The study set out to evaluate the environmental sustainability of XNO anode material production, using XNO technology in comparison to LTO technology, quantifying the impacts to produce the two anodes, and the energy delivered by the battery cells containing these anodes. It looked at comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) focused on Carbon footprint (production and energy delivery).

The results in more detail

Production stage: 1kg anode material (assessed with IPCC 2021 method). The results were: 52% lower carbon footprint for XNO in relation to the LTO. The LTO carbon footprint is higher than XNO by a factor of 2.1.

Energy delivery over the usable lifetime: 1kWh delivered by equivalent cells over a usable lifetime (assessed with IPCC 2021 method) XNO has a higher energy density but has a comparable cycle life to LTO, so the cell level advantage is increased. 61% lower carbon footprint for the XNO in relation to the LTO. The LTO carbon footprint is higher than XNO by a factor of 2.6.

The work does not stop here. Phase 2 of the study is underway. This will widen the scope to include additional environmental impact categories and will be published in an academic paper submission for peer review.

These phase 2 results will add to the available data and give further insight into performance and CO2 emission comparisons for battery production.