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Tracing the origin of lithium in Li-ion batteries using lithium isotopes

Author

Listed:
  • Anne-Marie Desaulty

    (BRGM)

  • Daniel Monfort Climent

    (BRGM)

  • Gaétan Lefebvre

    (BRGM)

  • Antonella Cristiano-Tassi

    (EDF, EDF R&D)

  • David Peralta

    (Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEALITEN)

  • Sébastien Perret

    (BRGM)

  • Anthony Urban

    (EDF, EDF R&D)

  • Catherine Guerrot

    (BRGM)

Abstract

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIB) play a key role in the energy transition towards clean energy, powering electric vehicles, storing energy on renewable grids, and helping to cut emissions from transportation and energy sectors. Lithium (Li) demand is estimated to increase considerably in the near future, due to the growing need for clean-energy technologies. The corollary is that consumer expectations will also grow in terms of guarantees on the origin of Li and the efforts made to reduce the environmental and social impact potentially associated with its extraction. Today, the LIB-industry supply chain is very complex, making it difficult for end users to ensure that Li comes from environmentally and responsible sources. Using an innovative geochemical approach based on the analysis of Li isotopes of raw and processed materials, we show that Li isotope ‘fingerprints’ are a useful tool for determining the origin of lithium in LIB. This sets the stage for a new method ensuring the certification of Li in LIB.

Suggested Citation

  • Anne-Marie Desaulty & Daniel Monfort Climent & Gaétan Lefebvre & Antonella Cristiano-Tassi & David Peralta & Sébastien Perret & Anthony Urban & Catherine Guerrot, 2022. "Tracing the origin of lithium in Li-ion batteries using lithium isotopes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-31850-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31850-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhou, Na & Wu, Qiaosheng & Hu, Xiangping & Zhu, Yongguang & Su, Hui & Xue, Shuangjiao, 2020. "Synthesized indicator for evaluating security of strategic minerals in China: A case study of lithium," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    2. Hye-Bin Choi & Jong-Sik Ryu & Woo-Jin Shin & Nathalie Vigier, 2019. "The impact of anthropogenic inputs on lithium content in river and tap water," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shenxiang Zhang & Xian Wei & Xue Cao & Meiwen Peng & Min Wang & Lin Jiang & Jian Jin, 2024. "Solar-driven membrane separation for direct lithium extraction from artificial salt-lake brine," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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