Toward a Comprehensive Life Cycle Inventory for Graphite Production
As the world pivots toward sustainable energy solutions, the demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is skyrocketing, driven by the global electrification of mobility and energy storage. Graphite, a vital component of these batteries, has come under intense scrutiny due to the lack of robust life cycle analysis (LCA) data regarding its production processes.
Dr. Daria Surovtseva, Senior Process Engineer - Sustainability at CarbonScape, has been at the forefront of addressing this crucial gap. Her recent paper, "Toward a Life Cycle Inventory for Graphite Production," published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, has been recognized as the top-cited work in its field for the period between January 2022 and December 2023.
The paper sheds light on the glaring omissions and underestimations that have plagued previous LCA studies on graphite production for LIBs. As Daria and her co-authors emphasize, crucial upstream, downstream, and peripheral processes – including roil extraction, calcination, and other critical steps required to convert pure graphite to anode material – have been consistently overlooked, leading to a severe underestimation of the environmental impacts.
To address this issue, the study proposes a rigorous framework for comparing different graphite production routes and provides an indicative inventory for synthetic graphite production. Using this inventory, the researchers estimate the global warming potential and energy demand of synthetic graphite to be underestimated by at least a factor of two – which suggests that prior literature may have underestimated these impacts by a factor of two or more.
Moreover, the study underscores the need to evaluate a broader suite of applicable impact categories and to fully account for by-products and co-products in future LCAs, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the environmental footprint of graphite production.
This influential piece of work has paved the way for the development of the Graphite Product Category Rules (PCR) published by EPD International, a framework that enables meaningful comparisons of graphite products across different manufacturers. This remarkable achievement is a testament to Daria’s expertise and dedication to advancing sustainable practices in the rapidly evolving lithium-ion battery industry.
Dr. Daria Surovtseva
With an impressive academic background, including an MSc in Physical Chemistry from Moscow University of Fine Chemical Technology and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Curtin University, Daria brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to CarbonScape. Her 11-year tenure as a researcher and lecturer, specializing in oil and gas processing, carbon capture and sequestration, and the manufacturing of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers, further solidifies her as a leader in the field.
As CarbonScape continues to rapidly scale and commercialize its proprietary biographite for the lithium-ion battery industry, the company is fortunate to have trailblazers like Dr Daria Surovtseva spearheading its sustainability efforts. Her work is a shining example of CarbonScape's commitment to driving innovative solutions while prioritizing environmental responsibility.
