Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment for Critical Energy Materials: Developing a New Framework for Integrated Industrial Ecology Methods

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

1337095 (Kendall). Energy-related greenhouse gas emissions are expected to double by 2050, leading to warming of the global climate by 6 degrees or more. Rapid and extensive deployment of renewable and energy-efficient technologies is required to change the course of these emissions. This deployment will increase demands for materials important for clean energy technologies, leading to some becoming critical energy materials. National and international agencies have increasingly emphasized the role of critical energy materials in meeting climate change mitigation goals and for developing a vibrant economy for clean energy in the U.S. The complex interactions of supply, demand, and mineral extraction delays, barriers, or incentives will lead to varying resource restrictions and environmental impacts for critical materials over time. Thus, a dynamic and prospective approach to modeling material availability and environmental impacts is required for environmentally preferable material selection by technology developers, and to support strategic clean energy policies. This research will develop an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) framework to create a dynamic approach for material sustainability assessment. LCA holistically analyzes the environmental performance of technologies, yet current LCA methods rely on static life cycle inventory data even in assessments of future technologies. This research will develop a prospective and dynamic approach by coupling two methods from industrial ecology: LCA and MFA. This coupling results in a new framework for dynamic LCA, one that acknowledges spatial variability in mining and refining impacts, and anticipates changes in a material's availability and environmental impacts over time. The framework will be applied to four metals considered critical, near critical, or watch list: two rare earths, neodymium and dysprosium; lithium; and magnesium. All four are essential for producing electric vehicles, an important clean energy technology. A dynamic LCA of future electric vehicles will serve as an illustrative case for this new method. The models and datasets generated will contribute to improved life cycle design, planning, and material selection for this particular technology, and provide a framework for developing similar tools and data for other technologies and materials. This research will contribute to other methodological advancements in industrial ecology by addressing unresolved issues in LCA, including recycling allocation practices for materials in long-lived products, and the treatment of co-production in prospective LCAs. The delay in secondary material availability when recyclable materials are bound in long-lived products represents an interesting case for recycling allocation. In addition, co-product allocation issues will be addressed because many critical energy materials are produced as co-products because they co-occur in geologic deposits. Application of enhanced LCA methods can help avert unintended consequences and improve the effectiveness of climate change mitigation strategies. This research will allow clean energy technology developers to anticipate long-term negative environmental consequences of selecting a particular material in a design, facilitating life cycle decision-making at the earliest stages of product development. This research will also help policymakers and industry anticipate the timing required for identifying alternative materials and resources, and for developing robust recycling infrastructure. The research methods and outcomes will be incorporated into educational curricula research and should also help policymakers and industry anticipate the timing required for identifying alternative materials and resources, and for developing robust recycling infrastructure. The research methods and outcomes will be incorporated into educational curricula for graduate and undergraduate courses, exposing students to quantitative sustainability methods and current issues. In addition, project-based seminars will be developed to target first year undergraduates from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds and community college transfer students considering or enrolled in engineering fields. Seminars will use engineering design problems with environmental sustainability themes to help students connect careers in engineering with socially relevant themes. In addition, students in grades 6-12 will be targeted through teacher training materials. The project will support one doctoral student in all years and provide two undergraduate summer research experiences.