Circular Pathways for the Next-Generation of Sustainable Sodium-Ion Batteries
Designing Circular Pathways for Next-Generation Sodium-Ion Batteries: Recycling, Sustainability and Socio-Ecological Impacts of High-Energy-Density Tin-Based Anodes
Lead Supervisor: Maria Crespo Ribadeneyra
Degree Programme: Materials Science and Engineering Programme
Co-Supervisor:
Paul Balcombe (School of Engineering and Materials Science)
Project Description
As demand for energy storage grows, battery technologies are becoming increasingly important for supporting the transition to low-carbon energy systems. While much attention has been given to lithium-ion batteries, emerging sodium-ion batteries offer the potential for more resilient and sustainable supply chains due to the abundance of sodium resources. At the same time, new generations of high-energy-density battery materials introduce important questions regarding resource use, end-of-life management, recycling potential and wider societal impacts.
This PhD project will investigate how circular economy principles can be embedded into the design, deployment and end-of-life management of next-generation sodium-ion batteries based on high-capacity tin-containing anodes. While these materials have the potential to significantly improve battery energy density, their large-scale adoption may create new waste streams and resource recovery challenges that are not yet fully understood.
The project will explore how future battery technologies can be designed with sustainability, recyclability and resource recovery in mind from the outset. The student will examine the environmental, economic and socio-ecological implications associated with the production, use, reuse and recycling of tin-based sodium-ion battery materials and identify pathways for responsible deployment at scale.
Research topics may include:
- Mapping material flows associated with future sodium-ion battery supply chains.
- Understanding the recyclability and resource recovery potential of tin-based battery materials.
- Assessing environmental impacts using life-cycle assessment (LCA).
- Evaluating economic feasibility through techno-economic assessment (TEA).
- Investigating how design choices influence end-of-life management and circularity.
- Exploring the societal and policy implications of emerging battery waste streams.
- Developing circular design frameworks for next-generation battery technologies.
- Identifying opportunities for waste valorisation and closed-loop manufacturing.
The project directly aligns with the Living with Waste programme by considering future waste streams before they emerge and by examining how resource recovery, circular design and sustainable innovation can minimise environmental burdens associated with the energy transition. Through collaboration across materials science, engineering, sustainability and policy disciplines, the student will contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies for managing the next generation of battery materials within a circular economy.
This interdisciplinary project offers a unique opportunity to shape how future battery technologies are designed, used and recovered, ensuring that solutions to climate and energy challenges do not create unintended waste and sustainability problems for future generations.
What we're looking for in a student
We welcome applications from highly motivated students interested in sustainability, circular economy, energy technologies and the environmental dimensions of the clean energy transition.
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First-Class or Upper Second-Class degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Sustainable Development, Geography, Earth Sciences, Industrial Ecology or a related discipline. Candidates with experience in sustainability assessment, circular economy, materials systems, energy technologies, environmental analysis or policy studies are particularly encouraged to apply.
The successful student will receive interdisciplinary training in life-cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic assessment (TEA), circular economy frameworks, resource recovery strategies and battery technologies. They will work across engineering and sustainability disciplines and gain access to battery research facilities, sustainability assessment tools and industrial and academic networks working on future battery systems, resource management and waste innovation. The project will provide excellent preparation for careers in sustainable technology, policy, resource management and industrial innovation.
Key words: Circular economy; sodium-ion batteries; battery recycling; sustainability assessment; waste futures; life-cycle assessment (LCA); techno-economic assessment (TEA); critical materials; resource recovery; energy transition; battery waste; socio-ecological impacts; circular design; sustainable energy storage.