Early-Stage Sustainability Assessment of Carbon-Nanotubes-Enabled Renewable Energy Technologies using Ex-Ante LCA and Sound Material-Cycle Index
| Project/Area Number |
20K20023
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 64060:Environmental policy and social systems-related
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
ティア ヘンイ 早稲田大学, 理工学術院, 次席研究員(研究院講師) (70822485)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2021)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
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| Keywords | Life Cycle Assessment / Lithium Sulfur Battery / Carbon Nanotubes / Low Carbon Technology / Thin-film c-Si PV / Rapid Vapor Deposition / Resource Sustainability / Emerging Technology / Renewable Energy |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
Advanced innovative researches on carbon nanotube (CNT) have enabled wide possibility to revolutionize renewable energy technologies. Although the CNT-enabled technologies are premature, decision-makers need scientific methods to evaluate the benefits and impacts of the technologies. This study proposes an early-stage sustainability assessment framework to address the life cycle environmental impacts and the resource sustainability. We look into two case studies that have been developing in Japan: CNT-enabled thin-film silicon solar cells and lithium-sulfur batteries with CNT cathode.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
One target application of carbon nanotubes (CNT) is the next-generation Lithium-Sulfur (LiS) batteries. The self-supporting structure and current-conducting property of CNTs enable the innovation of CNT-sulfur-cathode. This will improve the battery performance, i.e., weight-less, charge-faster, and higher energy capacity, and potentially reduce the environmental loads of battery production.
This year we conducted a prospective LCA of LiS battery based on our lab experiments and anticipated industrialized processes. We found that the Li-S battery can achieve 60 kg CO2e per kWh battery capacity, nearly 50% lower than an advanced NMC811. It is not only contributed by the change of cathode materials but also by the change of cathode processes.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The project is progressing smoothly. We are finalizing the Objective 1 - develop
ex-ante LCA for lab-scale CNT-enabled devices that include a thin-film solar cell and a lithium-sulfur battery.
(1) For the solar cells, we have completed the LCA and presented the result at an academic conference. We will complete the journal paper soon.
(2) For lithium-sulfur battery, we have competed the LCA on the production of battery and the relevant comparisons. We have submitted for academic conference presentations.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the 1st and 2nd years, we have established the environmental profile of CNT-enabled devices, i.e. solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, through the product life cycle assessment (LCA). So far, the investigation is technology-oriented regardless of material constraints and preferences. Next, we plan to address the real problems facing Japan which is the rapid increase of waste solar panels and spent batteries.
As described in Objective 2, we plan to examine the effect of CNT-enabled devices on resource sustainability. We will model the electronic waste material in Japan and apply resource constraints toward the production of the new devices. We would like to examine whether a net environmental benefit could be achieved with the circularity of solar cells and batteries.
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Report
(2 results)
Research Products
(1 results)
