Life Cycle Analysis of a Green Solvothermal Synthesis of LFP Nanoplates for Enhanced LIBs in Chile

Despite the structural and electrochemical advantages of LiFePO4 (LFP) as a cathode material, the solid-state reaction commonly used as a method to produce it at the industrial level has known disadvantages associated with high energy and fossil fuel consumption. On the other hand, solution-based synthesis methods present a more efficient way to produce LFP and have advantages such as controlled crystal growth, homogeneous morphology, and better control of pollutant emissions because the reaction occurs within a closed system. From an environmental point of view, different impacts associated with each synthesis method have not been studied extensively. The use of less polluting precursors during synthesis, as well as efficient use of energy and water, can provide new insights into the advantages of each cathode material for more environmentally friendly batteries. In this work, a solvothermal method is compared to a solid-state synthesis method commonly used to elaborate LFPs at the commercial level in order to evaluate differences in the environmental impacts of both processes. The solvothermal method used was developed considering the reutilization of solvent, water reflux, and a low thermal treatment to reduce pollutant emissions. As a result, a single high crystallinity olivine phase LFP was successfully synthesized. The use of ethylene glycol (EG) as a reaction medium enabled the formation of crystalline LFP at a low temperature (600 °C) with a nano-plate-like shape. The developed synthesis method was evaluated using life cycle analysis (LCA) to compare its environmental impact against the conventional production method. LCA demonstrated that the alternative green synthesis process represents 60% and 45% of the Resource Depletion impact category (water and fossil fuels, respectively) of the conventional method. At the same time, in the Climate change and Particular matter impact categories, the values correspond to 49 and 38% of the conventional method, respectively.