Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the verge of breaking through, most presumably flooding the automotive market with lithium-ion batteries as energy storage systems. This paper investigates the availability of world lithium resources and draws conclusions on its actual impact on the EV industry. Apart from lithium deposits geographic distribution, our contributions to the global knowledge range from a short-term forecast of lithium price evolution to a picture of the existing lithium industry and market plus a detailed explanation of the geologic origins of all the inventoried lithium resources.

Assessment of world lithium resources and consequences of their geographic distribution on the expected development of the electric vehicle industry

The energy demand of the world is expected to reach 739 quadrillions BTU in 2040, which therefore demand for exploring more alternative source of renewable energy. Waste biomass though vast in reserve for generating renewable energy has its own downside. High moisture, fibrous nature, high bulk volume, hydrophilic nature and low calorific value are some of the inferior quality of waste biomass which creates bottleneck for easy renewable energy generation. Pre-treatment of biomass to overcome these challenges has created a new research interest. Among the treatment options available, the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) method, which can process wet waste has become the most preferred choice among researchers recently. The HTC eliminates energy-intensive pre-drying process needed for other treatment methods such as pyrolysis, dry torrefaction and incineration. Through this article, we attempt to provide a detailed review of how renewable biomass can be effectively used to produce renewable energy by improving their inherent inferior characteristics. The review also highlights bottlenecks that constrain the deployment of renewable energy using HTC methods. The scope of further research direction is well identified in this review. The paper also present recent advancements which are filling the knowledge gap of HTC technology that were there earlier. Critical analysis of microwave assisted HTC and conventional heated HTC is also presented in this review. The analysis in this paper reveals that biomass is a valuable resource, and should be explored to take advantage of its renewable energy generation potential. The HTC method of biomass upgradation improves transport, storage and fuel characteristics by improving grindability, pellets durability, hydrophobicity, energy density, combustion behaviour and calorific value, and also helps in improving the environmental performance of solid fuel produced. Despite the fact that the technology is in the early stage of development and there still exist knowledge gap and shortcomings, the vast literature reviewed suggests that it has a potential of being future technology. Therefore, it needs further investigation which should fill existing shortcoming of the technology.

Hydrothermal carbonization of renewable waste biomass for solid biofuel production: A discussion on process mechanism, the influence of process parameters, environmental performance and fuel properties of hydrochar

Recycling of lithium-ion batteries: a novel method to separate coating and foil of electrodes

The wide adoption of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles will require increased natural resources for the automotive industry. The expected rapid increase in batteries could result in new resource challenges and supply-chain risks. To strengthen the resilience and sustainability of automotive supply chains and reduce primary resource requirements, circular economy strategies are needed. Here we illustrate how these strategies can reduce the extraction of primary raw materials, that is, cobalt supplies. Material flow analysis is applied to understand current and future flows of cobalt embedded in electric vehicle batteries across the European Union. A reference scenario is presented and compared with four strategies: technology-driven substitution and technology-driven reduction of cobalt, new business models to stimulate battery reuse/recycling and policy-driven strategy to increase recycling. We find that new technologies provide the most promising strategies to reduce the reliance on cobalt substantially but could result in burden shifting such as an increase in nickel demand. To avoid the latter, technological developments should be combined with an efficient recycling system. We conclude that more-ambitious circular economy strategies, at both government and business levels, are urgently needed to address current and future resource challenges across the supply chain successfully. New battery chemistry can help reduce the reliance on Co for electric vehicles. However, to avoid burden shifting to other resources such as Ni, circular economy strategies with enhanced battery traceability and recycling could contribute substantially to the reduction of primary Co demand from the automotive industry.

/pdf/circular-economy-strategies-for-electric-vehicle-batteries-20yg8q8o3b.pdf

Circular economy strategies for electric vehicle batteries reduce reliance on raw materials

Ecological Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries from Electric Vehicles with Focus on Mechanical Processes

Lithium availability in the EU27 for battery-driven vehicles: The impact of recycling and substitution on the confrontation between supply and demand until 2050

https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/39857619/PURE.pdf

Renew, reduce or become more efficient? The climate contribution of biomass co-combustion in a coal-fired power plant

The Dutch residential sector is locked-in into natural gas for the supply of heat. The expected depletion of national reserves and induced earthquakes in the production area are reasons to aim to escape this lock-in. The Dutch government and key players in the natural gas sector have expressed large green gas ambitions. This paper explores the opportunities and barriers of biomass gasification for green gas production and application in the residential sector. The Technological Innovation Systems and Multi-Level Perspective were applied as sustainability transition frameworks to explore the current technological state of biomass gasification and the developments in the residential sector. Four limitations were observed from a supply perspective; little financial space for demonstration plants, absence of technology specific policy, lagging market developments and insecurities related to biomass availability. On the demand side, clear barriers hampering change are observed, providing large opportunities for green gas. Key players in the natural gas regime take no substantial responsibility, despite their potential ability to contribute to overcoming systemic barriers. Therefore, this research concludes that the current green gas ambitions set by the Dutch government are not feasible and that the government may address this with technology specific policy, substantial research and development subsidies and funding.

/pdf/opportunities-and-barriers-for-biomass-gasification-for-9nypsm16f1.pdf

Opportunities and Barriers for Biomass Gasification for Green Gas in the Dutch Residential Sector

A quarter of the total primary energy demand in the European Union is met by natural gas. Synthetic natural gas produced through biomass gasification can contribute to a more sustainable energy supply system. A chain analysis of the energetic performance of synthetic natural gas where the upstream, midstream and downstream part are included has not been found in literature. The energy performance of the possible large-scale application of synthetic natural gas is therefore unsure. A model was designed to analyse the performance of the biomass to synthetic natural gas chain and to estimate the effect of 1% synthetic natural gas in the energy system. A break-even distance is introduced to determine whether it is energetically feasible to apply pretreatment. Results show that torrefaction and pelleting are energetically unfeasible within the European Union. Emissions can be reduced with almost 70% compared to a fossil reference scenario. Over 1.2 Mha is required to fulfil 0.25% of the total primary energy demand in the European Union.

Environmental and energy performance of the biomass to synthetic natural gas supply chain

There are a plethora of drivers of change in energy systems until 2015. The role of social and political actors is likely to be more noticeable. In Europe, locally, high-impact ideas like green consumerism and limited acceptance of energy systems that result in trade-offs will be important. Nationally, the empowerment of individuals and communities and the politicization of energy-related issues will be drivers of change. Internationally, energy issues will become more important in the foreign and security policies of state and non-state actors.

/pdf/the-big-picture-the-future-role-of-gas-1xi7lrxq9f.pdf

Jan Hessels Miedema

Papers

Lithium availability in the EU27 for battery-driven vehicles: The impact of recycling and substitution on the confrontation between supply and demand until 2050

Renew, reduce or become more efficient? The climate contribution of biomass co-combustion in a coal-fired power plant

Opportunities and Barriers for Biomass Gasification for Green Gas in the Dutch Residential Sector

Environmental and energy performance of the biomass to synthetic natural gas supply chain

The big picture : The future role of gas