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Time line: You will have 2 weeks to complete the on-line discussion as a team. Use this blog to capture your thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and revisions as you work together on this problem. This activity is discussion-based, meaning you will participate through a collaborative exchange and critique of each other’s ideas and work. The goal is to challenge and support one another as a team to tap your collective resources and experiences to dig more deeply into the issue(s) raised in the scenario. Since the idea is that everyone in the discussion will refine his/her ideas through the discussion that develops, you should try to respond well before the activity ends so that the discussion has time to mature. It is important to make your initial posts and subsequent responses in a timely manner. You are expected to make multiple posts during each stage of this on-going discussion. The timeline below suggests how to pace your discussion. This is just a suggestion. Feel free to pace the discussion as you see fit.
Tuesday Week 1 Initial Posts: All participants post initial responses to these instructions (see below) and the scenario.
Thursday Week 1 Response Posts: Participants respond by tying together information and perspectives on important points and possible approaches. Participants identify gaps in information and seek to fill those gaps.
Tuesday Week 2 Refine Posts: Participants work toward agreement on what is most important, determine what they still need to find out, & evaluate one or more approaches from the previous week’s discussion.
Thursday Week 2 Polish Final Posts: Participants come to an agreement on what is most important, and propose one or more approaches to address the issue/s.
Discussion Instructions
Imagine that you are a team of engineers working together for a company or organization to address the issue raised in the scenario. Discuss what your team would need to take into consideration to begin to address the issue. You do not need to suggest specific technical solutions, but identify the most important factors and suggest one or more viable approaches.
Suggestions for discussion topics
• Identify the primary and secondary problems raised in the scenario.
• Who are the major stakeholders and what are their perspectives?
• What outside resources (people, literature/references, and technologies) could be engaged in developing viable approaches?
• Identify related contemporary issues.
• Brainstorm a number of feasible approaches to address the issue.
• Consider the following contexts: economic, environmental, cultural/societal, and global. What impacts would the approaches you brainstormed have on these contexts?
• Come to agreement on one or more viable approaches and state the rationale.
Lithium mining for lithium-ion electrical vehicle batteries
The US government is investing heavily in sustainable resource research and development in order to decrease national oil consumption, and automotive industries around the world are competing in a global race for “sustainable mobility”. There were about 52 million total vehicles produced in the world in 2009, and replacing a significant amount of them with highly electrified vehicles poses a major challenge. The state of California is targeting 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) on its streets by 2020. By that same date, Nissan forecasts that EVs will become 10% of all global sales.
Battery technology is currently the major bottleneck in EV design. In 2009, President Obama announced $2.4 billion in grants to accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of next generation batteries and EVs. Lithium-ion batteries are the first choice for the emerging EV generation, (the Chevy Volt, the Volvo C30, the Nissan Leaf), because they feature high power density, manageable operating temperatures, and are relatively easy to recharge on the grid.
In spite of its potential, lithium may not be the answer to the EV battery challenge. Lithium, which is recovered from lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), is not an unlimited resource. Lithium-based batteries are already used in almost all portable computers, cell phones and small appliances. Utility-scale lithium-based energy storage devices are in the works for smart grid applications, such as balancing energy supply-demand fluctuations. Lithium is also extensively used in a number of processes we take for granted: the manufacturing of glass, grits, greases and aluminum, among others. This makes accurate estimations of future demand in relation to resource availability almost impossible.
According to Meridian International Research, an independent renewable-energy think tank, there is insufficient recoverable lithium in the earth's crust to sustain electric vehicle manufacture based on Li-ion batteries in the volumes required by the mass market. Lithium depletion rates would exceed current oil depletion rates, potentially switching dependency from one diminishing resource to another. The United States Geological Survey reports that the Salar de Uyuni salt pans of Bolivia contain the largest untapped reserve of lithium in the world – an estimated 5.4 million metric tons or almost 50% of the global lithium reserve base. Other estimates put the Bolivian resource as high as 9 million metric tons. Bolivian president, Evo Morales, has consistently rejected bids by Mitsubishi and Toyota to mine lithium in his country and has announced plans to develop a state-controlled lithium mining operation. Prices of lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) have more than doubled since 2004. Lithium batteries are costly, too; battery packs for vehicles cost upwards of $20,000 alone, driving up the overall cost.
Lithium CAN be recycled, but there is little existing infrastructure. In 2009, a California company, Toxco Waste Management, received $9.5 million in grants from the US Department of Energy to help build the first US-based facility for recycling lithium batteries in anticipation of demand.
How much lithium is needed to power an electric vehicle?
Energy requirements………………………..16 kilowatt hours (specified for Chevy Volt)
Lithium estimates per kWh……………….0.431 kg (US Department of Transportation estimate)
Total lithium for one Chevy Volt……….6.86 kg
Total Li2CO3 for one Chevy Volt ......... 36.5 kg
Total Li2CO3 one million PHEVs ..........36,500 metric tons
Sources
Lithium Dreams: Can Bolivia Become the Saudi Arabia of the Electric-Car Era? (March 22, 2010). The New Yorker.
Lithium Largesse? (August 2009). American Ceramic Society Bulletin.
US Department of Energy, Press Release. (August 5, 2009)
Bolivia’s Lithium Mining Dilemma. (September 8, 2008) BBC News.
The Trouble with Lithium: Implications of Future PHEV Production for Lithium Demand. (2007). Meridian International Research.
Hi guys, so let's start by discussing what is the major issue in using lithium to power our technology.
ReplyDeleteAs engineers we've been taught to think about the design of a products with complete understanding of all the energy inputs necessary for the manufacture of a product as well as how to deal with it at the end of its life. It seem though that in the case of the lithium batteries there are still other factors in play like government strategies to monopolize a scarce resource. This are the hints I see from the Bolivian government as they continue to rejects bit from many countries for mining their land. Who know if I'm right. What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I think it is a bad idea to go in the direction of using lithium. Having to rely on another country for energy is a huge risk. It leads us to the same position we are currently in regarding oil. The article talks about how there isn’t even enough lithium to steadily supply the market. I don’t have a solution to a new energy source but moving in the direction of Li-ion batteries does not have my vote.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Bolivia is taking a smart approach to controlling the mining of Lithium in their country. Will it get expensive, yes but expensive Lithium will drive research to possibly create a more sustainable energy storage solution. Luis I have to disagree with your statement that "as engineers we've been taught to think about the design of a products with complete understanding of ...how to deal with it at the end of its life." I feel that that is something that has been left out of our curriculum and is something that should be added.
ReplyDeleteYou are Jason, what I meant to say is that we've been told about the importance of considering the well to wheel approach in manufacturing; but I agree we have not been taught. Justice, I agree with you. Relaying on one country as a primary supplier for a fuel resource is of high risk. I believe there is still much opportunity for improvement of the combustion engine and of the car in eliminating emissions. Recent spikes in the price of oil are pressing car manufactures and consumers to seek more efficient cars. Even if the price of gasoline increases, if we can get more and more miles to our gallon, oil will continue to be a good resource for our fuel.
ReplyDeleteI don't think use of Li-Ion batteries as a large scale automotive power source is feasible. Even if their were more sources of lithium there is still other considerations to be made. Big in my mind is the life-cycle of such batteries. Of all the materials used in batteries (lead, nickel, lithium), lithium is the least toxic. But, what about the other components it's combined with in it's manufacture and life-cycle?
ReplyDeleteI was reading about the Nissan Leaf and you can only go 100 miles on a full charge. Nissan also says it takes about ~30 minutes to 80% at a 480 volt quick-charge station. Starting from a depleted battery, ~7 hours at 220/240V (depending on amperage), about 20 hours at 110/120V. To me this sounds very inconvenient. You also have to think about the electricity needed to charge these batteries. Even more power will need to be generated from coal, water, wind etc. On a larger scale motor, say for a longer range vehicle, this charging time would be outrageous. Maybe my thinking is in the wrong direction, but it looks to me that the bigger picture is not being looked at. I do have very limited knowledge on the topic but these are my initial thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Justice on the charge source. The U.S. and China are the largest energy consumers in the world. The U.S. and China also have very large coal reserves. Going to battery powered automobile will likely increase the need for more coal plants. The biggest concern with coal plants is the amount of CO2 pollution they produce. A possible solution to this my rest with the possible recycling process for Li-Ion batteries. Pure lithium reacts vigorously with water to create hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide. We all know the uses for hydrogen gas but, it turns out that lithium hydroxide acts as a CO2 scrubber. It's already used in air purification systems for space applications. I wonder if lithium hydroxide can be used as a CO2 scrubber in coal plants.
ReplyDeleteWayne if the biggest issue you see with Coal Power Plants is the release of the green house gas CO2, let me tell you that there is technology that can remove up to 99% of the CO2 from the exhaust from carbon. It uses an
ReplyDeleteAmine-based capture method. After it is capture it is compressed and sequestered (stored) in different geologic reservoirs such as dryout oil wells. It does make power production less efficient since this process takes away a considerable amount of energy from the plant to run pumps compressors and boilers. The question about this technoly is not about it if would work, I think it would. But there are many enviromental aspects on the storage part of it that concern people.
Let's break it down why Li-ion batteries are not the best alternative source of energy:
ReplyDelete-Demands are too high
-Inconvenient
-Non-recyclable
-Expensive
I'll say electric car isn't the best way to go. So, right now we just have to rely on oil.
Wayne has a good point. I think that if we do decide to move in the direction of Li-ion batteries, we need to figure out how to use the recycled batteries to aid in the scrubbing of CO2. Can it be done? I’m not sure either, but this technology would be very important, especially with an increase in the use of coal plants. At this point I still do not think that Li-ions are the best solution, but if this is the direction that the country is moving in then let’s look in to making the surrounding processes as green and efficient as possible.
ReplyDeleteI understand all of your concerns about the Lithium Ion battery, and its limited supply and useful life cycle. But let's not forget that the lithium can be recycled and re-used for new batteries. Justice you brought up the Nissan Leaf, and mentioned the inconvenience of the 100 mile range and the recharging times. I personally thing that that range is pretty good for the average commuter who travels an average of 32 miles round trip, which would take less than a night's sleep, twice a week, to recharge. For longer trips these electric cars aren't convenient, but most families in America have more than one vehicle anyway so I really don't see this as an issue.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned before it would be substituting one limited resource for another, but the way I see it is we have to try new things to make advancements in technology, and in our case its battery technology. It was mentioned that the use of electric vehicles will increase the demand on the power grid and we would have to build more coal power plants. While this is true, it will force countries to develop new ways to create power. There are so many new power generation ideas going right now like tidal and fusion , which will only succeed if there is a need for clean electricity.
I guess to wrap it up, I'm saying that the only way to progress technology is to consistently advance the technology we have. If we just give up on every new idea we have because it doesn't alone solve all of our problems, we're never going to progress and, in this case, we are going to just use fossil fuels until it runs out and is too late to develop new technology because our society is crippled. I don't see Lithium batteries being a permanent fix, and I don't think anyone really expects them to be, but right now they are our best , and most cost effective technology that allows us to extend the life time of the fossil fuel until we as a society do come up with a better or more permanent solution.
Engineering a recycling system sounds like jobs to me. But, I don't think that Li-Ion batteries would be a blanket solution. Each type of battery would still have its own niche in the market. I still think that battery power isn't the best way to power automobiles. I'm not even sure there could be enough lithium hydroxide from an Li-Ion battery recycling process to use in CO2 scrubbing. We still have the same vicious cycle, Use coal fire power-plants to charge all our cars. There probably will never be enough recyclable lithium to support the power-plant CO2 scrubbing from charging all our car.
ReplyDelete