Development of a Reverse Logistics Modeling for End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries and Its Impact on Recycling Viability—A Case Study to Support End-of-Life Electric Vehicle Battery Strategy in Canada

Abstract

The deployment of a sustainable recycling network for electric vehicle batteries requires the development of an infrastructure to collect and deliver batteries to several locations from which they can be transported to companies for repurposing or recycling. This infrastructure is still not yet developed in North America, and consequently, spent electric vehicle batteries in Canada are dispersed throughout the country. The purpose of this reverse logistics study is to develop a spatial modeling framework to identify the optimal locations of battery pack dismantling hubs and recycling processing facilities in Canada and quantify the environmental and economic impacts of the supporting infrastructure network for electric vehicle lithium-ion battery end-of-life management. The model integrates the geographic information system, material flow analysis for estimating the availability of spent battery stocks, and the life cycle assessment approach to assess the environmental impact. To minimize the costs and greenhouse gas emission intensity, three regional recycling clusters, including dismantling hubs, recycling processing, and scrap metal smelting facilities, were identified. These three clusters will have the capacity to satisfy the annual flow of disposed batteries. The Quebec–Maritimes cluster presents the lowest payload distance, life-cycle carbon footprint, and truck transportation costs than the Ontario and British Columbia–Prairies clusters. Access to end-of-life batteries not only makes the battery supply chain circular, but also provides incentives for establishing recycling facilities. The average costs and carbon intensity of recycled cathode raw materials are CAD 1.29/kg of the spent battery pack and 0.7 kg CO2e/kg of the spent battery pack, respectively, which were estimated based on the optimization of the transportation distances.