How can prospective life cycle assessment support the eco-design of an innovative battery-grade lithium carbonate production process?

Abstract

The transition to low-carbon energy systems drives increasing lithium demand, making alternative recovery technologies essential for long-term supply resilience. This study shows how eco-design principles guide the identification of the most environmentally-friendly configuration, supporting future mitigation-oriented design choices. Three innovative lithium recovery routes, distinguished by their concentration-stage configurations, are assessed: Route A uses reverse osmosis with impurity removal, Route B excludes membrane technology, and Route C applies nanofiltration without prior impurity removal. Life cycle assessments are conducted considering decarbonised background systems and process circularity, including resource and energy efficiency in the foreground system. The most effective eco-design strategy delivers potential reductions in climate-change impacts of ∼21% through foreground improvements, ∼60% through background improvements, and up to ∼68% when combined from the current to the optimised future scenario. Residual impacts further highlight the need for additional eco-design strategies. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses evaluate key factors, including ore-grade variability and data quality.