TY - JOUR A1 - Olscher, C. A1 - Jandric, A. A1 - Zafiu, C. A1 - Part, Florian T1 - Evaluation of marker materials and spectroscopic methods for tracer-based sorting of plastic wastes N2 - Plastics are a ubiquitous material with good mechanical, chemical and thermal properties, and are used in all industrial sectors. Large quantities, widespread use, and insufficient management of plastic wastes lead to low recycling rates. The key challenge in recycling plastic waste is achieving a higher degree of homogeneity between the different polymer material streams. Modern waste sorting plants use automated sensor-based sorting systems capable to sort out commodity plastics, while many engineering plastics, such as polyoxymethylene (POM), will end up in mixed waste streams and are therefore not recycled. A novel approach to increasing recycling rates is tracer-based sorting (TBS), which uses a traceable plastic additive or marker that enables or enhances polymer type identification based on the tracer’s unique fingerprint (e.g., fluorescence). With future TBS applications in mind, we have summarized the literature and assessed TBS techniques and spectroscopic detection methods. Furthermore, a comprehensive list of potential tracer substances suitable for thermoplastics was derived from the literature. We also derived a set of criteria to select the most promising tracer candidates (3 out of 80) based on their material properties, toxicity profiles, and detectability that could be applied to enable the circularity of, for example, POM or other thermoplastics. KW - Circular economy KW - Post-consumer plastic waste KW - Plastic waste recycling KW - Tracer-based sorting KW - Sensor-based sorting KW - Spectroscopy KW - Fluorescent markers KW - Thermoplastics KW - Polyoxymethylene PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-555624 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153074 SN - 2073-4360 VL - 14 SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-55562 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Slotyuk, Lyubov A1 - Part, Florian A1 - Schlegel, Moritz-Caspar A1 - Akkerman, Floris T1 - Life Cycle Assessment of the Domestic Micro Heat and Power Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell in Comparison with the Gas Condensing Boiler Plus Electricity from the Grid N2 - The energy demand of private households contributes globally to 36.5% of the total CO2 emissions. To analyze the emissions reduction potential, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell in a residential application and a conventional system with a stand-alone gas condensing boiler and electricity from a grid mix. The period under review was referred to as the service life of the PEMFC and is assumed to be 10 years (83,038 h of PEMFC). The applicability of this in a single-family house built between 1991 and 2000 under German climatic conditions was investigated. The functional unit is set to the thermal energy demand of 16,244 kWh/a and electricity demand of 4919 kWh/a of a single-family house. The impact assessment method “CML 2001–August 2016” was used in this investigation. The manufacturing phase of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell showed disadvantages, whereby the use phase had significant advantages in most of the environmental impact categories as compared to the conventional energy supply system. Considering the whole life cycle, the advantages from the use phase could outperform the disadvantages from the manufacturing phase in most of the impact categories, except for ADP elements and TETP. KW - Sustainability KW - Circular Economy KW - Comparative life cycle assessment KW - Proton exchange membrane fuel cell KW - Gas condensing boiler KW - Micro heat and power generation KW - Residential application KW - Single-family house energy supply system PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-598134 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062348 VL - 16 IS - 6 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI AG AN - OPUS4-59813 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hong, H. A1 - Part, Florian A1 - Nowack, B. T1 - Prospective dynamic and probabilistic material flow analysis of graphene-based materials in Europe from 2004 to 2030 N2 - As industrial demand for graphene-based materials (GBMs) grows, more attention falls on potential environmental risks. The present article describes a first assessment of the environmental releases of GBMs using dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis. The model considered all current or expected uses of GBMs from 2004 to 2030, during which time there have already been significant changes in how the graphene mass produced is distributed to different product categories. Although the volume of GBM production is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, outflow from the consumption of products containing GBMs shows only a slightly positive trend due to their long lifetimes and the large in-use stock of some applications (e.g., GBM composites used in wind turbine blades). From consumption and end-of-life phase GBM mass flows in 2030, estimates suggest that more than 50% will be incinerated and oxidized in waste plants, 16% will be landfilled, 12% will be exported out of Europe, and 1.4% of the annual production will flow to the environment. Predicted release concentrations for 2030 are 1.4 ng/L in surface water and 20 μg/kg in sludge-treated soil. This study’s results could be used for prospective environmental risk assessments and as input for environmental fate models. KW - Graphene KW - Graphene-based material (GBM) KW - Material flow analysis KW - Exposure modeling PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568843 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c04002 SN - 0013-936X SN - 1520-5851 VL - 56 SP - 13798 EP - 13809 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Columbus, Ohio AN - OPUS4-56884 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Spindlegger, Anna A1 - Slotyuk, Lyubov A1 - Jandric, Aleksander A1 - De Souza, Ricardo Gabbay A1 - Prenner, Stefanie A1 - Part, Florian T1 - Environmental performance of second-life lithium-ion batteries repurposed from electric vehicles for household storage systems N2 - Repurposing lithium-ion batteries has proven to be a promising solution to address the rising number of end-of-life batteries that can be used for second-life energy storage systems and thus extend their service life. While previous research has provided valuable insights into the environmental benefits of battery repurposing, there is still a need to examine the repurposing process more thoroughly, in order to make well-informed decisions on the implementation of second-life battery storage systems. Therefore, this study examines the influence of different repurposing strategies on the environmental performance of second-life battery energy storage systems. A life cycle assessment was conducted, analysing four repurposing cases relating to the exchange of components, namely i) new battery management system and module casing (Base case), ii) new battery management system and reuse of module casing (Case 1), iii) new module casing and reuse of battery management system (Case 2) and iv) reuse of module casing and battery management system (Case 3). These impacts were compared to a storage system with new batteries, to determine the potential environmental benefits and identify the most suitable repurposing strategy. Our findings demonstrate significant environmental benefits of second-life battery energy storage systems across various impact categories and repurposing cases. The Base case and Case 1 resulted in environmental benefits across all impact categories. The highest benefits were observed for metal depletion with savings of 58 % and 61 %, respectively. Increased savings were obtained for Case 2 and Case 3. However, environmental drawbacks were identified for freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. In particular, Case 2 resulted in the highest drawbacks of -22 % and -16 %, respectively. These can be attributed to the allocation procedure, particularly affecting the recycling credits of battery management system recycling. The full allocation of end-of-life impacts and consequently the recycling credits to the second-life battery has not only led to a substantial increase in overall savings, but also resulted in impact categories that originally had disadvantages becoming those with the highest environmental savings. This study demonstrates the importance of carefully selecting repurposing strategies for second-life energy storage systems to maximize their environmental benefits and avoid drawbacks. Additionally, the results highlight the substantial influence of allocation procedures on overall environmental impacts, underscoring the need for clearer methodological guidance on addressing the multifunctionality of repurposed batteries. KW - Life cycle assessment KW - Repurposing KW - Second-life battery KW - Lithium-ion battery KW - Battery energy storage system KW - Circular economy PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2025.01.003 SN - 2352-5509 VL - 54 SP - 227 EP - 240 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-62940 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prenner, Stefanie A1 - Part, Florian A1 - Jandric, Aleksander A1 - Bordes, Arnaud A1 - Leonhardt, Robert A1 - Jung-Waclik, Sabine A1 - Huber-Humer, Marion ED - Djebali, Ridha T1 - Enabling Circular Business Models: Preconditions and Key Performance Indicators for the Market Launch of Repurposed Second‐Life Lithium‐Ion Batteries From Electric Vehicles N2 - With the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) and thus lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), the number of end‐of‐life (EoL) LIBs after their first life in EVs is about to increase significantly. These end‐of‐first‐life (EoFL) EV LIBs still have sufficient energy density for less‐demanding second‐life applications like stationary battery energy storage systems (BESSs) or mobile applications (e.g., forklifts, tools). Repurposing EoFL EV LIBs extends their lifespan, offering sustainability benefits and supporting several United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, prevailing market entry barriers, such as high repurposing costs, little information on battery history and aging, or lacking performance indicators, hinder the widespread implementation of second‐life applications. Thus, this study aims to identify preconditions for considering and selecting useful EoFL LIBs and to determine key performance indicators (KPIs) to minimize economic risks for a successful second‐life market launch. KPIs were rated according to importance using a Likert scale, and reference values were introduced. A mixed‐methods approach, using expert interviews, an exploratory workshop, and an online survey, was applied. Twelve important preconditions were identified, with the “availability of information on battery specification” and “compliance with standards and regulations” considered very important. In addition, 12 KPIs were derived, covering six economic, three environmental, and three technical and safety‐related indicators. The KPIs “state of safety (SoS)” and “resource savings (Rsav)” were rated as highly important. Overall, the findings provide performance measurement guidance for repurposing companies, facilitating the market launch and adoption of second‐life applications. Future research can build on these results and investigate variations among different battery types, ultimately promoting a circular economy. KW - Lithium-Ion battery KW - Key performance indicators KW - Circular economy KW - Electric vehicle KW - Sustainability PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-619167 DO - https://doi.org/10.1155/er/8331870 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-61916 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prenner, Stefanie A1 - Part, Florian A1 - Jung-Waclik, Sabine A1 - Bordes, Arnaud A1 - Leonhardt, Robert A1 - Jandric, Aleksander A1 - Schmidt, Anita A1 - Huber-Humer, Marion T1 - Barriers and framework conditions for the market entry of second-life lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles N2 - Transition to circular economy for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles requires integrating multiple stages of the value cycle. However, strategies aimed at extending the lifetime of batteries are not yet sufficiently considered within the European battery industry, particularly regarding repurposing. Using second-life lithium-ion batteries (SLBs) before subsequent recycling can offer several advantages, such as the development of sustainable business models, the reduction of emissions, and alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 12, and 13. Using expert and problem-centred interviews along with an exploratory workshop, this study guides stakeholders in the battery sector by illustrating the necessary changes for a more holistic circular economy. Moreover, an extended political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal, and additionally safety-related (PESSTEL) analysis approach is carried out, which has not yet been used in this context. In this process, barriers, as well as necessary institutional framework conditions and organisational requirements for a successful market entry of SLB applications are investigated. Among others, key barriers relate to the competition with first-life applications and safety concerns. SLBs require high manual labour costs for repurposing, along with expenses for expired warranties and re-certifications. Ownership structures in traditional business models often result in SLBs and their corresponding usage data staying under the control of the manufacturers. Market viability, however, requires a level playing field for both first-life and second-life operators as well as circular battery and data-sharing business models. Gathering data on the ageing performance and performing improved safety testing according to test protocols facilitates the reliable assessment of SLBs. KW - Electric vehicle KW - Circular economy KW - Market entry barrier KW - Repurposing KW - Second-life lithium-ion battery KW - Second-life battery energy storage system PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-614543 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37423 VL - 10 IS - 18 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-61454 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -