Lithium-ion batteries are an increasing source of PFAS pollution

2024-07-09 23:23:09

A new subclass of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) used in lithium-ion batteries has become a growing source of air and water pollution.

The PFAs a group of more than 4,700 widely used synthetic chemical agents that accumulate over time in humans and the environment. Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in mobile phones and electric cars.

Lithium ion batteries

A test by a research team also found that the PFAS, known as bisperfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASI), demonstrate environmental sustainability and ecotoxicity comparable to older and more notorious compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The results are published in Nature Communications.

Lithium-ion batteries are an integral part of the growing clean energy infrastructure, with uses in electric cars and electronics, and demand is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade.

“Our results are revealing a dilemma related to the manufacture, disposal and recycling of clean energy infrastructure” explains study author Jennifer Guelfo, associate professor of environmental engineering at Texas Tech University, in a statement.

Researchers sampled air, water, snow, soil and sediment near manufacturing plants in Minnesota, Kentucky, Belgium and France.

The concentration of bi-FASI in these samples was generally very high

“It is necessary to reduce carbon dioxide emissions with innovations such as electric cars, but it should not have the side effect of increasing PFAS pollution. We need to facilitate technologies, manufacturing controls and recycling solutions that can fight the climate crisis without releasing highly persistent pollutants.

Researchers sampled air, water, snow, soil and sediment near manufacturing plants in Minnesota, Kentucky, Belgium and France. The concentration of bi-FASI in these samples was generally very high.

The data also suggested that air emissions of bi-FASI could facilitate long-range transport, meaning that areas far from manufacturing sites could also be affected. The analysis of some municipal landfills in the southeastern US indicates that these compounds can also enter the environment through the disposal of products, including lithium-ion batteries.

Bis-FASI toxicity

Toxicity testing showed that concentrations of bis-FASI similar to those found at the sampling sites can alter the behavior and basic energy metabolic processes of aquatic organisms. The toxicity of bis-FASI has not yet been studied in humans, although other more studied PFAS have been linked to cancer, infertility, and other serious health harms.

Traceability testing showed that bis-FASI does not break down during oxidation, which has also been observed with other PFAS. However, the data showed that there is a concentration of bi-FASI in water could be reduced by using it granular activated carbon and ion exchange, methods previously used to remove PFAS from drinking water.

“These results indicate that treatment approaches designed for PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) also remove bis-FASI,” said study author Lee Ferguson, associate professor of environmental engineering at Duke University.

Guelfo and Ferguson emphasize that this is a critical time to adopt clean energy technologies that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“We should leverage the expertise of multidisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, sociologists and policy makers to develop and promote the use of clean energy infrastructure, ie while minimizing the environmental footprint” said Ferguson.

“We should build on the momentum behind the current energy initiatives to ensure that new energy technologies are truly clean,” said Guelfo.

References

• (1) The nexus has lithium-ion battery components for sustainable energy and the environmental release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Nature Communication.