Estimating Cost and Energy Demand in Producing Lithium Hexafluorophosphate for Li-Ion Battery Electrolyte

Abstract

In this work, the production of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) for lithium-ion battery application is studied. Spreadsheet-based process models are developed to simulate three different production processes. These process models are then used to estimate and analyze the factors affecting cost of manufacturing, energy demand, and environmental impact due to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results indicate that in a facility with a capacity of making 10,000 t per year of LiPF6 the cost of production is around $20 per kg of LiPF6, energy consumption is around 30 GWh per year, and the emission of greenhouse gases in CO2-equivalent gases is around 80 t per day. The impact of change in process and economic parameters on the cost of production, energy demand, and emissions is studied. In addition, a few insights on reducing the cost of production are presented. Finally, the impact of varying LiPF6 costs on the overall cost of a Li-ion battery ($ kWh–1) is presented.