Potholes of electrification

Electrification is no more a generation thing, it will be a customer-driven future. To save our planet from a Carbon footprint and further damage, we have chosen to "E"lectrify as much as possible. And, pandemic has accelerated this along with ESG that firms across the globe started adopting slowly. We can’t be energy independent from fossil fuels, but it's only an option to be less independent. The Majority of nations are in the transition stage of electrifying transportation. Well, we know that popular brands have already started production.

While we are in the race of electrification trend which most of the nations are trying to accomplish by 2030, we are conveniently or unconsciously ignoring or maybe pushing under the carpet - the aftermath of resource crunch we would be facing for water and at the same time the environmental implications created by the: Lead-acid batteries and Lithium-ion batteries. And this full scale electric transition will be doubled

Albeit 99%of lead-acid batteries are recyclable, it poses environmental contamination. Exide technologies had shut down one of their large recycling plants as they failed to meet the waste management standards and emission control measures. According to a WHO report, the recycling process will result in detrimental health issues including potential mortality in children.

Lithium-ion batteries aren't as toxic as the previous one, but it does contain metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese which are considered toxic heavy metals. However, the enormous amount of waste accumulation at the end of its life is ignored at the moment. The very much factor of its long life will lead to mass production and as per the industrial experts, it is projected that China alone will be producing half a million metric tons of Li-ion batteries this year to meet the forecasted demand. And hence by 2030 recycling or disposal of such an enormous amount will be our next greater concern.

It has dwelled deeper into our life through smart watches, phones and the list is endless. Environmental impacts does not limit to fire and explosion, toxic gas release (e.g.?HF and HCN), leaching of toxic metal nanooxides and the formation of dangerous degradation products from the electrolyte, but also contamination of soil, air and water by the waste landfill accumulation. And it's obvious that dry soil will heat fast and land can't cool off.

According to a Statista report, the global lithium-ion battery market was valued at some 40.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. It is projected that the market will grow at a GACR of 14.6%, reaching the size of almost 92 billion U.S. dollars in 2026.

As per the country-wise share of the global lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity in 2020 with a forecast for 2025, though China's production forecast projects a fall by 2025, Europe will grow as the second biggest producer, surging from 6% to 25%

According to Marc Grynberg, chief executive of Umicore (Europe's largest battery recycling company) "The recycling will come at a different cost which is not being factored into the equation so far. The lower the metal value, the higher the net cost you have to incur to get the material recycled".

While we have not tackled 50% of our current greatest problem - plastic pollution which has endangered marine life & disrupted marine ecosystem as well, we have accelerated ourselves to another drastic problem without any sustainable alternative. It will not be just the water resource crunch we would be facing, it will be a multifaceted situation with humungous issues to deal with.

Human habits are ingrained over the years, so before we make a historical transformation to a new habit, it is empirical to look at the humungous aftermath it can create for the future generation. While we advance technologically, should the nations and people fight for basic environmental protection issues? or should they fight for basic resources? How prepared are we to face those issues? Do we have another feasible alternative while we decide to move into electrification? Or should we adopt a ratio for electrification until we find a better alternative that will not lead us to aforesaid questions?

Technology can take us way much forward , but should it be at the cost of future lives? Policymakers need to advise schemes that considers cross-sectoral balance for a sustainable green future. But the bridging gap between policymakers and corporate is the profit. And, the real tug of war for corporate is between ESG & profit.

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