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If Cobalt is So Bad, Why are Some Companies Still Using it in Batteries? Part 1
The terrible consequences of cobalt mining and usage are both well documented and heartbreaking. Devastating environmental impacts from extration that render large swath of land unusuable and polluted waterways. Children forced to work in dangerous and claustrophobic `artisanal` mines (a truly sinister euphemism). Toxicity, lung disease, heart failure, and cancer from exposure, even touching the chemical can cause an instant rash.
Cobalt was once deemed a worthless metal, only an indicator that other valuable ores might be nearby. But our increasingly digital lifestyles and the global need to expand the use of lithium ion battery energy storage and electric vehicles is driving surgent demand. Mines are ramping up operations, and entrenched supply chains and gigafactories are being established to move this toxic conflict metal around the world.
In addition, cobalt in a lithium ion battery creates a significant and unavoidable risk of fires. Even when inactive or in standby, cobalt batteries spontaneously ignite, whether they be shoddy hoverboards or high-end, luxury electric vehicles. And as more and more lithium ion batteries are plugged in at our homes and wired directly to the electric grid, the high-intensity duty cycles required of them further exacerbate the problem.
But not all lithium ion energy storage batteries rely on cobalt as a key ingredient. So we have to ask ourselves, knowing everything we do today - if cobalt is so bad, why are some companies choosing to use it in energy storage systems?
#NotAllLithiumFirst, it is important to point out that using cobalt is a choice.
Even though media reports often gloss over this detail for brevity, the term lithium ion (Li-ion) actually refers to a number of different chemistries, not all of which are reliant on cobalt, and not all of which are toxic and hazardous.
- Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2 or LCO)
- Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2 or NMC)
- Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2) or NCA)
- Lithium Ferrous (Iron) Phosphate (LiFePo4 or LFP)
- Lithium Titanate (Li4Ti5O12 or LTO)
Cobalt-based Li-ion battery fires are fast moving and frightening, can happen without warning, and are nearly impossible to extinguish - so you simply have to try and isolate the fire and let it burn itself out. In technical terms this is referred to as ‘thermal runaway’, an innocuous way of saying that the temperature of the battery rises uncontrollably and bursts into flames.
These fires are no joke. A recent event in Surprise, AZ at a large battery installation blew the doors off the building and sent eight firefighters to the hospital. One fire captain is still recovering more than a year later.
So understanding and appreciating these differences between lithium ion batteries is important. #NotAllLithium batteries are the same, and this severe fire risk is relegated to those that employ cobalt.
When comparing differing types of batteries, there are three key technical considerations to keep in mind - chemistry, form factor, and manufacturer. All three are important to understanding the performance, cost, and safety of the final product.
In this series of blog posts we are going to focus on the chemistry of different types of lithium ion batteries, specifically misconceptions and technical limitations of the cobalt-based varieties.
Why do companies use cobalt in the first place?Cobalt-based Li-ion is currently the dominant technology in the energy storage industry, capturing upwards of 75% of the market. The early ubiquity of cobalt batteries in cell phones, laptops, and other digital devices accelerated learning curves and manufacturing gains, lowering prices almost 80% in the last decade.
In 2017, battery manufacturers around the world consumed more than 40,000 tonnes of cobalt (more than a third of global production) and by 2025 the industry is expected to triple that consumption. The hazards and risk with cobalt will also scale accordingly.
So why use it at all?
Proponents of cobalt-based Li-ion batteries would point to two factors as underpinning their decision - rapidly decreasing prices and relatively high energy density.
In the highly competitive energy storage industry, slight advantages in product margins can make all the difference between companies that stumble and those that thrive. But as you dig into these arguments, do some basic arithmetic, and look to the future, those supposed benefits quickly unravel and you are left with a costly, toxic, fire-prone battery that is being installed in 1,000’s and 1,000’s of homes and businesses around the world.
In the first blog entry in this series, let’s take a look at the supposed economic argument for cobalt-based batteries and compare them to alternatives.
Are costs rapidly declining?As companies consider technology investment or manufacturing expansion, they are looking at both the cost of a product today and the potential for future cost reductions to ensure price competitiveness in the market going forward.
The chart below demonstrates the significant price reductions in the lithium ion industry over the past decade. As noted above though, all Li-ion chemistries are being lumped together into one group in this analysis.