According to [tooltip hint=”Managing Director at International Lead Association”]Dr. Andy Bush[/tooltip] from the International Lead Association:
A new set of reports has shown that the demand for lead in its primary applications is assured for the foreseeable future.
In recent months, a series of reports has delivered a clear message: the future demand for lead appears strong, and lead is needed now more than ever to support the growing market for energy storage solutions.
[tooltip hint=”International Lead and Zinc Study Group”]According to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG), the production of lead metal has experienced annual growth, reaching unprecedented levels—an average increase of 5.5% per year between 2001 and 2011, surpassing 10 million tons annually. Most of this demand is for lead-acid batteries, which currently account for more than 80% of total lead consumption.[/tooltip]
Lead-acid batteries are a critical component in over one billion vehicles worldwide, particularly SLI (Starting, Lighting, and Ignition) batteries used in both trucks and passenger vehicles. These batteries serve either as original equipment in new vehicles or replacement units, with replacement batteries comprising about three-quarters of the total lead-acid battery market, valued at approximately $22.8 billion. In fact, the aftermarket segment has been the most significant part of the battery business to date. It is estimated that the aftermarket for SLI batteries is at least four times larger than the original equipment market.
Contrary to popular belief, the growing demand for higher energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions in vehicles has not adversely affected the lead-acid battery market. In 2012, approximately 600 million lead-acid batteries were produced globally, as lead battery technologies often remain at the forefront of innovation. The significance of lead-acid batteries to the automotive industry, along with the guaranteed availability of lead as a sustainable resource with minimal environmental impact throughout the product lifecycle, has been affirmed in reports by a coalition of industrial and automotive battery manufacturers from Europe, automotive associations from Europe, South Korea, and Japan, and the International Lead Association (ILA), the representative of the lead industry.
No alternative solution exists.
In their recent study titled A Review of Battery Technologies for Automotive Applications (published this year by Eurobat), the group explored the probable future of battery technologies in the automotive sector. Currently, lead-acid batteries remain the preferred technology for most SLI battery applications. The study concluded that, for the foreseeable future, these batteries will continue to be the dominant energy storage system, with no alternative technology currently positioned to challenge their status.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the global vehicle fleet is expected to increase to 1.6 billion by 2030. Consequently, a significant shift in the required technology is necessary to ensure that sustainable mobility can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions over the long term. In response to this challenge, European automakers have been working to meet established carbon reduction targets, leading to the development of alternatives to conventional vehicle engines.
These alternatives include fully electric vehicles and various types of hybrid vehicles, where energy recovered from braking is used to boost acceleration or, in some cases, to provide electric propulsion. These vehicles primarily utilize lithium-iron and nickel-metal hydride batteries; however, one key difference remains: all of these vehicles still require a 12-volt lead-acid SLI battery in addition to these batteries.
One of the key advantages of lead-acid batteries is their low cost and outstanding ability to start engines in conventional and mild hybrid vehicles, even in cold and low-temperature conditions. In hybrid vehicles with limited electric drive capabilities and fully electric vehicles, multiple battery chemistries are employed for propulsion. Nonetheless, 12-volt lead-acid batteries remain essential alongside other battery technologies for powering features such as climate control, entertainment systems, and safety equipment.
Innovations in battery technology in the automotive sector will play a key role in further reducing carbon dioxide emissions. A notable example is the LC super hybrid vehicle, developed and demonstrated with the support of the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium.
Advanced lead-acid batteries currently deliver start-stop performance and other micro-hybrid features in a substantial share of new vehicles available in European markets.
These types of batteries require more lead because, due to the need for more frequent engine restarts and operation under partial load conditions, they are larger than the batteries used in conventional vehicles.
The group’s findings indicate that lead-acid batteries remain a reliable, cost-effective, safe, and fully recyclable energy storage solution. These attributes are particularly important as the battery industry aims to maintain exemptions for lead-acid batteries under the broader scope of the European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicles Directive on lead in light vehicles, which is set to be reviewed in 2015.
Johann Friedrich Dempwolff, Chairman of Eurobat, the representative body of the European automotive battery industry, stated regarding the report: “This report underscores the necessity of preserving exemptions for lead-acid batteries under the European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicles Directive. We believe that the EU’s legal and regulatory framework must guarantee fair competition and be technology-neutral across all battery technologies.
Batteries also play vital roles in daily life and are expected to increase future demand for lead. These applications include stationary batteries that provide backup power sources (uninterruptible power supply) for telecommunications, public transit systems, and healthcare facilities.
These batteries can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by efficiently storing electricity generated from both conventional and renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power.
Safe and abundant storage
With the forecasted increase in lead demand in the automotive industry, the group also examined the availability of lead and other essential materials for the chemistries of other batteries in the future.
A report entitled “Availability of Metal Resources Used in Batteries for Automotive Applications” confirms that there are currently no concerns about the availability or reliable supply of lead for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, the availability of materials such as calcium, copper, selenium, and tin, which can be used as alloying elements in lead-acid batteries, is also unlikely to present any issues.
The abundant supply of lead is sustained by an efficient infrastructure for the collection and recycling of lead-acid batteries. In 2012, over half of the 10 million tons of pure lead produced globally originated from recycled sources. Lead is among the three metals for which more than 50% of global production comes from recycled material, with nearly 100% of U.S. lead production and 75% of European lead production sourced from recycled materials.
In its analysis of the availability of materials used in other battery technologies, the report highlights several challenges. For instance, the increasing use of lithium-ion batteries in portable electronics, combined with their adoption in new applications, is expected to drive a significant increase in lithium demand.
The growing demand for lithium will largely have to be met from lithium reserves through non-recycled production, as lithium-ion battery recycling is still in its early stages. Currently, less than one percent of lithium is recycled, and only a few companies are capable of recycling lithium-ion batteries at their end-of-life cycle.
One of the main reasons for the absence of large-scale commercial recycling is the technical complexity of lithium-ion battery recycling, which is currently not economically feasible. Under present conditions, the cost of recycling lithium is estimated to be as much as five times higher than that of primary (non-recycled) production.
Considering lithium’s relatively low economic value, recycling efforts tend to prioritize other metals found in batteries, such as nickel and cobalt.
The report concludes that the promotion of lead-acid battery use should continue for several reasons. These include the fact that this technology remains the most competitive option from both economic and technical perspectives, as well as the reality that the current market demand for automotive and industrial lead-acid batteries can be met with recycled lead.
Environmental Impact
The environmental effects of products are evaluated throughout their entire lifecycle, including stages such as raw material exploitation, manufacturing, recycling, energy consumption, and transportation.
European manufacturers of industrial and automotive batteries have carried out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of lead-acid batteries (this report will be published soon) and have drawn several key conclusions. These findings are as follows:
From an end-of-life perspective, the LCA assessment reveals that the high recycling rate of lead-acid batteries significantly reduces their environmental impact. In the United States alone, recycling lead-acid batteries prevents approximately 2.4 million tons of batteries from being disposed of in landfills. It is estimated that up to 97% of lead-acid batteries—including their casings and acid—can be successfully recycled.
“In this ‘closed-loop system,’ lead has very limited opportunity to enter the environment or pose risks to human health. These factors led the study to conclude that the production of lead-acid batteries has the lowest environmental impact compared to the full life cycle impact of vehicle manufacturing. Furthermore, advanced lead-acid batteries, used in micro-hybrid engine systems and start-stop applications, offer significant potential to mitigate global warming, effectively offsetting the environmental impact of their production.”
Throughout the lifespan of a vehicle using these systems, carbon dioxide emissions are significantly reduced. This reduction in CO₂ emissions is equivalent to a 5-10% decrease in fuel consumption compared to traditional vehicles.
In another LCA report published in 2010 by the Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S., it was concluded that, compared to all the battery technologies considered, lead-acid batteries have the lowest environmental impact throughout their entire lifecycle.
In this study, the lifecycle data of batteries based on lead, nickel, sodium, and lithium were compared. It was found that lead-acid batteries have the lowest energy consumption and emit the least amount of carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and volatile organic compounds.
“Dr. Alistair Davidson, Technical Director of ILA and a contributor to these studies, states: ‘Lead-acid batteries perform effectively within a closed-loop system, where commercial considerations drive the efficient collection and recycling of used batteries and often their components at the end of their lifecycle.'”
“Therefore, the use of lead in batteries is a prime example of a circular economy in action—something that policymakers worldwide are increasingly advocating for as a means to address the environmental and social impacts of raw material extraction and production.”
“These new studies reinforce the conclusion that, rather than forecasting an uncertain future for lead, society’s ongoing demand for affordable, reliable, safe, and environmentally sustainable energy storage solutions will continue to drive the demand for lead.”
Processing Monthly: A Report on the Role of Lead in Various Technologies and the Potential Alternatives
