Sustainable Decision Making for the Automotive Sector Through Life Cycle Analysis

Aleksandra Skalba is our third PhD candidate. She also works closely with a multi-disciplinary STEP Lab student team. In this post, she shares with us her research motivations and updates.

Aleksandra says, firstly, a bit about me. I greatly enjoyed the research that broadened my knowledge into sustainable development during my MSc in Energy Policy focusing on the transport sector. I am now following this up with my PhD research working on engineering solutions to empower sustainable transition in automotive sector and create an impact.

Professionally, I have worked in Automotive Sector for over 8 years. I have led expansion and development of Quality Management Systems within Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. I currently lead Exterior Surface Centre Technical Planning and Production Steering, ensuring uninterrupted production activities, quality and process problem solving and change integration.

Now the exciting part about my PhD. I have a passion for reducing the climate change impact. I am investigating the life cycle impact of products and services, to enable sustainable decision making, Fig 1. I am basing this on data evidence to address the negative effects on the planet and resources.

Fig 1 Components of Life Cycle Analysis (Hill, 2013)

With the automotive sector being the topmost contributing of CO2, and the ever-growing diffusion of the electric battery powered vehicles, the focus of my PhD research is to quantify the climate change impact, carbon emissions kg CO2 eq. I am focusing this on the most common electric battery tapes used globally, such as Lithium- Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-Oxide, NMC types. The life cycle stages considered in the assessment are not only the material manufacturing and use phase of the electric batteries, but more so the end of life of such, where these no longer can serve its purpose.

Fig 2 Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling EoL Methods (Bickel/Science, 2021)

Without the appropriate end of life routes Fig 2, defined and regulated for the NMC battery types, there is an ever growing risk of such ending up being disposed to landfill negatively impacting the environment due to its toxic cathode components. Multiple recycling methods are being considered such as pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, but these are complex and energy intense, with the climate change impact from such currently unknown. Secondary use options of batteries should also be on the table, however, with limited rare metal resources, the cobalt demand for replacing engines worldwide cannot not be sustained, Fig 3.

Fig 3 Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Methods – Process Flow

I have recently concluded the first year of my PhD studies. I am now working on answering some very important and complex questions, so watch this space and contact me at A.Skalba@brighton.ac.uk for collaborations. The output by me will allow the quantification of climate change impact for the battery options by enabling visualization and comparison of data, and consequently sustainable decision making based on data evidence for the life cycle of product and services, such as materials, energy flows and transportation.

Also, check out the below recording, during the early stages of the works. This was used to set the scene for the main topic of Life Cycle Analysis.

Want to know more about the ‘life cycle analysis’ themed PhD research? Contact Aleksandra Skalba