Information about sodium-ion batteries and their ecological impact and availability in the EU, as alternative to Lithium ion batteries:
Sodium-ion batteries (SIB) are a type of rechargeable battery that use sodium instead of lithium as the main active material. SIB have some advantages over lithium-ion batteries (LIB), such as lower cost, higher safety, and more abundant and sustainable raw materials¹². However, SIB also have some challenges, such as lower energy density, shorter cycle life, and lower efficiency¹³.
According to some studies, SIB have a lower environmental impact than LIB in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and resource depletion¹³. This is mainly due to the lower environmental burden of sodium extraction and processing compared to lithium and cobalt, which are scarce and critical metals¹³. However, the environmental performance of SIB also depends on the specific cell chemistry, the recycling process, and the application scenario¹³.
SIB are still in the early stages of development and commercialization, and most of the current research and industry activities are focused on stationary energy storage applications, such as grid integration of renewable energy sources¹²⁴. There are some European projects and initiatives that aim to develop and test SIB for different use cases, such as NAIMA², TIAMAT⁴, and Enerpoly¹. According to some sources, a French company (TIAMAT) is looking to start selling SIB in the next two years, while a Swedish startup (Enerpoly) has received a grant to build a factory to manufacture zinc-ion batteries, a type of SIB, by 2025¹⁴. However, Europe is lagging behind China, which will supply the automotive industry with tons of SIB as early as 2023³
Origen: Conversación con Bing, 25/12/2023
(1) Northvolt’s battery breakthrough — and the big quest to move Europe .... https://lnkd.in/d8HMDpbK.
(2) HOME | NAIMA project. https://naimaproject.eu/.
(3) Developing a European sodium-ion battery industry - European Parliament. https://lnkd.in/dZC3nU3T.
(4) Safe sodium-ion batteries shine in renewables and industrial .... https://lnkd.in/d6kUK_3H.
Founder and CEO / Research and Development
1moDear Jose M. Catala-Civera, addition „green and new chemistry“. With best regards. G.G.