Beyond the lithium-ion trilemma: a six-dimension integrated battery sustainability framework
Sujan Hossain1, Md Mesbah Uddin Saadi1, Md Omer Faruk1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) Gazipur Bangladesh mdmesbahuddinsaadi@gmail.com.
RSC Advances
|August 5, 2026
Summary
Lithium-ion battery (LIB) sustainability is evaluated using a new framework assessing energy, cost, safety, and environmental impact. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries show the highest composite score, highlighting the need for scaled recycling solutions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy Technologies
- Circular Economy
Background:
- Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are crucial for electric vehicles and renewable energy, with significant increases in energy density and production.
- Rapid LIB scaling raises critical concerns regarding resource availability, operational safety, and end-of-life waste management.
- Existing evaluations often lack a holistic, quantitative approach integrating multiple sustainability dimensions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a quantitative, lifecycle-based evaluation of various LIB chemistries.
- To introduce an Integrated Battery Sustainability Framework (IBSF) encompassing energy density, cost, safety, recyclability, environmental impact, and social responsibility.
- To identify LIB chemistries that best balance these critical sustainability factors for diverse applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of the Integrated Battery Sustainability Framework (IBSF) with novel safety and social responsibility metrics.
- Quantitative analysis of 187 LIB records across six key sustainability criteria (E, C, σ, R, L, S).
- Application-specific weighting (e.g., EV sector) and Monte Carlo simulations (1000 tests) to assess robustness.
Main Results:
- No single LIB chemistry excels across all six sustainability criteria; trade-offs are inherent.
- Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) demonstrates the highest composite IBSF score (0.645) when EV sector weightings are applied, due to its safety and social responsibility.
- Significant discrepancy noted between LFP recyclability (55%) and direct recycling potential (85%), emphasizing the need to scale recycling infrastructure.
Conclusions:
- The IBSF provides a comprehensive tool for evaluating and comparing LIB technologies based on multiple sustainability dimensions.
- LFP batteries emerge as a leading sustainable option for EV applications, contingent on addressing recycling scale challenges.
- Future research should focus on advancing recycling technologies and integrating real-time battery data (e.g., battery passports) for enhanced lifecycle management.
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