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Time line: You will have 2 weeks to complete the on-line discussion as a team. Use this blog to capture your thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and revisions as you work together on this problem. This activity is discussion-based, meaning you will participate through a collaborative exchange and critique of each other’s ideas and work. The goal is to challenge and support one another as a team to tap your collective resources and experiences to dig more deeply into the issue(s) raised in the scenario. Since the idea is that everyone in the discussion will refine his/her ideas through the discussion that develops, you should try to respond well before the activity ends so that the discussion has time to mature. It is important to make your initial posts and subsequent responses in a timely manner. You are expected to make multiple posts during each stage of this on-going discussion. The timeline below suggests how to pace your discussion. This is just a suggestion. Feel free to pace the discussion as you see fit.
Tuesday Week 1 Initial Posts: All participants post initial responses to these instructions (see below) and the scenario.
Thursday Week 1 Response Posts: Participants respond by tying together information and perspectives on important points and possible approaches. Participants identify gaps in information and seek to fill those gaps.
Tuesday Week 2 Refine Posts: Participants work toward agreement on what is most important, determine what they still need to find out, & evaluate one or more approaches from the previous week’s discussion.
Thursday Week 2 Polish Final Posts: Participants come to an agreement on what is most important, and propose one or more approaches to address the issue/s.
Discussion Instructions
Imagine that you are a team of engineers working together for a company or organization to address the issue raised in the scenario. Discuss what your team would need to take into consideration to begin to address the issue. You do not need to suggest specific technical solutions, but identify the most important factors and suggest one or more viable approaches.
Suggestions for discussion topics
• Identify the primary and secondary problems raised in the scenario.
• Who are the major stakeholders and what are their perspectives?
• What outside resources (people, literature/references, and technologies) could be engaged in developing viable approaches?
• Identify related contemporary issues.
• Brainstorm a number of feasible approaches to address the issue.
• Consider the following contexts: economic, environmental, cultural/societal, and global. What impacts would the approaches you brainstormed have on these contexts?
• Come to agreement on one or more viable approaches and state the rationale.
Lithium mining for lithium-ion electrical vehicle batteries
The US government is investing heavily in sustainable resource research and development in order to decrease national oil consumption, and automotive industries around the world are competing in a global race for “sustainable mobility”. There were about 52 million total vehicles produced in the world in 2009, and replacing a significant amount of them with highly electrified vehicles poses a major challenge. The state of California is targeting 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) on its streets by 2020. By that same date, Nissan forecasts that EVs will become 10% of all global sales.
Battery technology is currently the major bottleneck in EV design. In 2009, President Obama announced $2.4 billion in grants to accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of next generation batteries and EVs. Lithium-ion batteries are the first choice for the emerging EV generation, (the Chevy Volt, the Volvo C30, the Nissan Leaf), because they feature high power density, manageable operating temperatures, and are relatively easy to recharge on the grid.
In spite of its potential, lithium may not be the answer to the EV battery challenge. Lithium, which is recovered from lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), is not an unlimited resource. Lithium-based batteries are already used in almost all portable computers, cell phones and small appliances. Utility-scale lithium-based energy storage devices are in the works for smart grid applications, such as balancing energy supply-demand fluctuations. Lithium is also extensively used in a number of processes we take for granted: the manufacturing of glass, grits, greases and aluminum, among others. This makes accurate estimations of future demand in relation to resource availability almost impossible.
According to Meridian International Research, an independent renewable-energy think tank, there is insufficient recoverable lithium in the earth's crust to sustain electric vehicle manufacture based on Li-ion batteries in the volumes required by the mass market. Lithium depletion rates would exceed current oil depletion rates, potentially switching dependency from one diminishing resource to another. The United States Geological Survey reports that the Salar de Uyuni salt pans of Bolivia contain the largest untapped reserve of lithium in the world – an estimated 5.4 million metric tons or almost 50% of the global lithium reserve base. Other estimates put the Bolivian resource as high as 9 million metric tons. Bolivian president, Evo Morales, has consistently rejected bids by Mitsubishi and Toyota to mine lithium in his country and has announced plans to develop a state-controlled lithium mining operation. Prices of lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) have more than doubled since 2004. Lithium batteries are costly, too; battery packs for vehicles cost upwards of $20,000 alone, driving up the overall cost.
Lithium CAN be recycled, but there is little existing infrastructure. In 2009, a California company, Toxco Waste Management, received $9.5 million in grants from the US Department of Energy to help build the first US-based facility for recycling lithium batteries in anticipation of demand.
How much lithium is needed to power an electric vehicle?
Energy requirements………………………..16 kilowatt hours (specified for Chevy Volt)
Lithium estimates per kWh……………….0.431 kg (US Department of Transportation estimate)
Total lithium for one Chevy Volt……….6.86 kg
Total Li2CO3 for one Chevy Volt ......... 36.5 kg
Total Li2CO3 one million PHEVs ..........36,500 metric tons
Sources
Lithium Dreams: Can Bolivia Become the Saudi Arabia of the Electric-Car Era? (March 22, 2010). The New Yorker.
Lithium Largesse? (August 2009). American Ceramic Society Bulletin.
US Department of Energy, Press Release. (August 5, 2009)
Bolivia’s Lithium Mining Dilemma. (September 8, 2008) BBC News.
The Trouble with Lithium: Implications of Future PHEV Production for Lithium Demand. (2007). Meridian International Research.
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ReplyDeleteThe global lithium industry has a lot of problems. From what I gather, there has been a big push towards the use of lithium as an energy source to decrease our dependence on oil. The problem is that the lithium industry is very new and lacks infrastructure. There is no major recycling system in place so Li-ion batteries are being shipped to China and West Africa where they are either being dumped or burned rather than being recycled and reprocessed. Lithium batteries are also extremely expensive so it’s going to be difficult for EVs to gain popularity until prices become competitive. Another major problem is the politics surrounding the issue. The Bolivian president Evo Morales, who controls 50% of the world’s lithium reserves, is refusing to sell mining leases to outside companies. This allows for the Bolivian president to dramatically influence global lithium supply and cost which makes the entire market unstable.
ReplyDeleteWe are just trading one natural resource for another. Both have serious negative environmental effects. If we are going to push for Li-ion batteries as a major form of energy we must be aware of the global consequences. As a mechanical engineer, I don’t feel that I can speak intelligently on any aspect of these issues without doing a significant amount of research first. The only thing that semi pertains to mechanical engineering is the recycling process but it sounds like the technology is not there. Does anyone have any preference on what area of this issue they would like to focus on?
Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries are the newest renewable energy trend; however there are some serious issues to be addressed before they have a realistic chance to compete with the oil industry. This is a fairly new technology and is still being researched and improved as we speak. There is potential for a lot of growth for Li-ion electric vehicles (EVs), but there is a serious lack in infrastructure currently to support them throughout their product life cycle. Besides Taxco in the United States, there are no recycling plants for the Li-ion batteries when their life cycle is over and right now most batteries are thrown away. For Li-ion batteries to become commercially available for EVs there has to be a system to recycle them. If that can be established then Li-ion EV batteries seem like a very good solution to power our cars in the future. Then what is holding the back? The problem is that there is not a large return of investment or any proof that there is a market for recycling these batteries. Taxco needed $9.5 million in grants to get them into the market and most companies are not going to be willing to invest that much money in an industry that could be erased by another, better technology in the next 10 to 15 years. For Li-ion batteries in EVs to take off and have an infrastructure, they need to show that they can become competitively priced against oil.
ReplyDeleteLithium carbonate (Li2CO3) is a limited resource just like oil. Bolivian president, Evo Morales, refuses to let companies mine in his country, which happens to hold an estimated 50% of the global lithium reserve base. The way the lithium market is right now seems a lot like the oil industry. It is a limited resource and controlled by a powerful few. So we would be replacing one limited resource for another one. However, at least Li-ion batteries are better for the environment over the life cycle of the vehicle and can be recycled.
Currently, the use of Li-ion battery powered EVs is a likely candidate to compete with internal combustion vehicles, but it needs more research and infrastructure development. The market for the batteries is new and there is unknown return on investment, which is going to keep a lot of companies from investing and there is the problem with the mining in Bolivia. I think the most important issue to be addressed though, is the recycling of this limited resource. From my limited research it seems like most of the lithium and by products can be reused in some way. So perhaps the mining in Bolivia wouldn’t be a big issue if we could just recycle more and make better use of the resources we have available.
To summarize the issue, automotive industries around the world are competing in a global race for “sustainable mobility. In response, the U.S. government has invested heavily in sustainable resource research and development. One possible solution has been the development of electric vehicles (EVs). Research has suggested that by 2020, EVs will become 10% of global sales of vehicles; however, EVs use lithium-ion batteries which are not a renewable resource and therefore have to same issue as gasoline vehicles. Based on the information provided in the background, the current lithium resource would never be able to support 100% EV production. From the numbers provided in the background, it would take 1.9 million metric tons of lithium carbonate to satisfy a 100% production of EVs at today’s vehicle demands, and with only 5.4 million tons in the global lithium reserve base, the reserve would be outstripped within a decade. However, EVs could be a temporary solution for the time being and help support part of vehicle production.
ReplyDeleteEven if lithium carbonate was a renewable resource, the issue of a new infrastructure would still need to be addressed. From the background information provided, it took $9.5 million in grants to build one lithium battery recycling plant. To accommodate 100% EVs, it would take a vast amount of financial resources to convert the U.S.’s gasoline based infrastructure to one that accommodates the idea of lithium batteries and rechargeable cars. Of course, battery technology could improve and limit some of these factors, but in any case, a different infrastructure would be required and it would be expensive.
To truly achieve sustainable mobility, a power source would need to be able to be produce in the United States in order to remove ourselves from dependence on foreign countries. Currently our dependence remains in Middle Eastern countries and if we switched to EVs it would just change to dependence on Bolivia. To address the issues, I believe a liquid fuel is needed that can replace gasoline which would limit the changes to infrastructure and also be able to be produced by the U.S. One such fuel is a bio-fuel made from algae. Unlike ethanol, this fuel would not take away from food production and requires little to no oil input to produce it. Using this fuel type, sustainable mobility may be achieved.
Lithium powered EVs have emerged as a major share of the automotive market. By 2020, Nissan has forecasted that they will make up 10% of global sales. Also, in 2009 there were about 52 million vehicles produced worldwide. If this production level remains constant, then the amount of Li2CO3 required to produce 5.2 million EVs would be 189,800 metric tons each year. At this rate, it would take only 28.45 years to deplete the conservative estimate of 5.4 million metric tons of Li2CO3 in Bolivia. This estimation is not intended to be an exact prediction, but rather demonstrate that the world’s lithium supply is a finite resource. Lithium is similar to oil in that unrestricted consumption will eventually lead to a shortage.
ReplyDeleteLithium has the advantage over oil in that we can identify it as a limited resource before there is a peak in production. Building infrastructure such as recycling plants may not be a profitable investment unless EVs take over a majority of the market. In which case, it cannot be guaranteed that recycling will be able to offset the increased consumption of lithium. I think that these EVs are a step in the right direction since it relieves some of the dependence on oil, but it cannot be viewed as the final solution. After all, the energy to recharge the batteries is coming from the power grid, where renewable sources makeup only a small fraction of the energy supply.
Although lithium ion batteries to power EVs are profitable at the present, the infrastructure required to make them a sustainable resource is not. These cars should be used to supplement the market and relieve dependence on oil as the search for a sustainable fuel source continues.
From the comments in the posts, the main concern seems to be the issue with infrastructure. Toxco had recently received grants to help build the first US-based facility for recycling lithium batteries in anticipation of demand. Since this facility was built for anticipation of demand, it would still have the capability to handle the recycling of more lithium batteries. Once its operation is at full capacity, a higher percentage of EVs would be on the road which would allow other companies to build recycling plants without being concerned that EVs will not catch on.
ReplyDeleteAnother concern has been the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. We know lithium carbonate is a limited resource so if we do begin a route to produce EVs and build recycling plants, car companies would have to be able to ensure that the batteries in the cars the sell eventually return to a recycling plant. This would have to go for other types of companies as well who have lithium-ion batteries in their products, such as Dell, Toshiba, and LG.
Lastly, I don’t believe that one solution is going to solve the oil problem. Much like the power industry today which has solar, hydro, wind, geo, and coal, it will be a combination of different sources that make up the power source in vehicles. If EVs take off then they will be a slice in the vehicle pie and if not it’s too bad for Toxco.
I agree with everyone else, that the lack of infrastructure and the politics involved are the biggest issues facing the Li-Ion batteries EV’s from becoming main stream and as successful as some want them to be. The lack of infrastructure could be solved with an large investment from many companies, however I don’t see that happening. Even now, there is only one company willing to make the investment and they needed a huge push from the government to do so. I don’t think that our government can afford to give $9.5 million to every company that was interested in starting a recycling plant. This needs time to see if a market will develop. Like Kevin said Li-ion battery EV’s should just be a stepping stone and a small portion of the market. There are other possibilities out there and we should not stop looking just because we found one that is better for the environment than what we have now.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem with growing the Li-ion battery market are the politics and limited availability of involved. I haven’t done any research into it, but if Bolivia contains 50% of the Li2CO3 available globally then I imagine that it takes up a large portion of their country. One would also have to look into the environmental effects the mining would have on Bolivians and their land. If it would destroy a large portion of their land then it’s not really a solution to the problem at all. That could be one reason Evo Morales does not want to sell rights to any companies.
From what I have read I think it can be agreed upon that Li-ion battery EV’s are a step in the right direction but they are not the solution that some make them out to be. There are still way too many big issues to be dealt with and problems that have not been addressed for them to become a major portion of the market anytime soon. There is a big push for renewable energy sources now but that doesn’t mean we should just go with one of the first options and not continue to research and look for better options.
I would have to agree with my colleagues. Lithium is not a solution to the energy problem, but rather a temporary answer to relieve some of the burden from oil. The focus should be directed towards Li-ion battery research to improve EV design since this is the major bottleneck. The infrastructure will come once lithium has established a legitimate corner in the energy market. Recycling facilities should still be encouraged but the lithium industry is still very new and unstable. It is going to be very difficult to get major companies to invest in recycling plants at such an early stage.
ReplyDeleteThe article also makes it sound like the Bolivian President is causing a huge issue with the supply of lithium. The country of Bolivia and its people would greatly benefit from the mining of lithium carbonate. This would greatly benefit Bolivia’s economy but Evo Morales has his own personal agenda. Morales needs strong encouragement to allow the mining of the salt pans which would bring much needed stability to the global lithium supply.
Through this discussion we have defined the problem as: the surge in consumption of lithium ion batteries in EVs and other electronics will lead to a shortage of the lithium carbonate supply, as it is a finite resource controlled by a select group, if measures are not taken to improve the efficiency of batteries and implement a well structured recycling program.
ReplyDeleteOur approach to solving this problem has three basic components. Firstly, steps must be taken towards creating an infrastructure to support battery recycling before the first generation of EVs reach the end of their life cycle. Secondly, there must be an effort to diversify fuel sources consumed by vehicles with an emphasis on clean technologies that relieve the strain on gasoline engines, since lithium ion EVs are not a sustainable solution. Lastly, the government must take the role of providing grants for recycling programs, pass legislation for the proper disposal of batteries and seek diplomacy with the Bolivian government to secure future sources of lithium carbonate.