ECON371/UBCO2024WT1/NewsWiki/group2/Week 4

Week 4

URL:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240319-the-most-sustainable-alternatives-to-lithium-batteries

Prof: I had to fix the link. These are external links, and that needs to be indicated when the link is created.

Problem:  

Lithium batteries, which have been used for over 3 decades are very unsustainable forms of batteries. They are made up of Lithium which is a non-renewable resource, take up tons of water in manufacturing and also require a lot of energy to be produced. The world is currently going through a global energy crisis and finding greener ways to store and transport electricity, especially with growing demands of electric vehicles, an alternative must be found. Additionally, recycling lithium takes even more resources than producing a new lithium battery, which makes recycling it also a non-viable option. Lithium extraction itself causes issues such as water pollution, water scarcity, huge energy usage, forced migration of indigenous communities, and air pollution. The article elaborates on multiple alternatives created such as sodium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, and lithium-sulfur batteries, which are all substitutes of lithium batteries.

Summary:

The BBC article addresses the issues of lithium-ion batteries' environmental sustainability. These batteries have been in use for more than 30 years and are becoming more and more popular, especially with the rise of electric vehicles. The unsustainable extraction method for lithium batteries, not only uses a lot of energy, water, and other resources,  but also has detrimental effects on the environment, like air and water pollution and forced community relocation. Additionally, lithium battery sustainability is further complicated by the resource-intensive nature of lithium recycling. Overall, this makes their use environmentally concerning.  

To overcome these difficulties, the article discusses alternatives to lithium-based batteries. Among these are sodium-ion batteries, which, despite their marginally lower efficiency, provide a more environmentally friendly alternative because of sodium's abundance and minimal influence on the environment.

The main idea stressed in the article is resource substitution, in which sodium, a more plentiful and eco-friendly material, may take the place of lithium in batteries, thereby lowering the environmental impact of lithium battery usage and disposal while still satisfying the world's increasing demand.

Economic Concepts:

Resource Substitution:

In some cases, some desired outputs can be achieved with different inputs. So you may be able to make a product with different materials without significant variance. Or at the very least, the same job can be completed. Goods with weak sustainability can be easily substituted for other inputs without significant change. On the other hand, goods with strong sustainability cannot be easily substituted for other inputs. At least not easily. Substitutes may be a great option for preserving resources that are limited in our world if the demand for them increases past the point where we can use them sustainably.

Stock Pollutants:

In the case of lithium batteries, the environmental consequences don't end with production and use; they continue after disposal. When lithium batteries are not properly recycled or disposed of, they can release harmful chemicals and heavy metals into the environment, contributing to soil and water pollution. These materials can leach into groundwater or remain in landfills for years, creating a stock of pollutants that worsens with every discarded battery. Finding alternatives to lithium-based batteries, or creating more sustainable recycling processes, is critical to addressing the stock pollutant problem. Substitutes such as sodium-ion batteries could reduce the environmental footprint not only during production and use but also in terms of their long-term impact after disposal, as they are easier to recycle and pose less risk of persistent pollution.

Application:

Resource Substitution:

Lithium batteries have several negative effects on the environment. Harvesting the necessary Lithium uses a lot of water which evaporates into the environment and harms nearby communities sometimes making them inhabitable. Lithium has several strengths over other batteries, notably, they are smaller, stronger, and have longer lives per charge. However, Substituting Lithium-ion Batteries with sodium-ion will remove several of the negative harvest and disposal effects. As they need dramatically less water to harvest and sodium is much more abundant than lithium. They are marginally weaker than lithium batteries across the board in most features but are dramatically easier to replace and recycle for a net benefit.

Prof: I certainly agree that resource substitution is a central focus of this article. Namely, can we substitute for Lithium in energy storage?

You didn't go into much detail in the application section about how Lithium should be considered a stock pollutant. To the extent that discarded batteries with Lithium in them cause damages for many periods after they have been used and discarded, it may be appropriate to consider this a stock pollution problem. You do discuss some of this when explaining the term. Please follow the suggested organization in future.

Conclusion:

From the article we can see how lithium batteries have overall negative effects on the environment, but there are substitutes available. Lithium harms water, air and living beings as well, making it an undesirable option from a purely environmental standpoint. Alternatives such as Sodium-ion batteries can help reduce some of these issues, but they do come with their drawbacks such as being weaker. More sustainable energy storage and usage can be harnessed and will be beneficial in the long run. The growing demand for sustainable, yet efficient sources will need to be met strategically.