Life cycle assessment of LTO-rich anode waste from lithium-ion battery with a hazardous waste management approach

Lithium titanate oxide (LTO) batteries have been under intensive research due to their stability, safety, and rapid charging characteristics. Nevertheless, uncertainties as to LTO-batteries behavior when used as a raw material in battery recycling still exist. This study provides a grave-to-gate life cycle inventory for a hydrometallurgical battery recycling process in which Li-battery waste materials nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), LTO, and graphite were used as feed. The simulation showed that NMC cathode materials and lithium from both battery waste fractions could be recovered. In contrast, the titanium present within LTO cannot be recovered by the recycling process. Nevertheless, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the process demonstrated clear benefits of recycling battery materials, highlighted by the decrease in global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, and ozone depletion potential. Additionally, two routes for hazardous waste management were simulated to ascertain the environmental impacts of hazardous waste management within the recycling process.