{ "node": { "id": "term:virgin-material", "type": "Term", "label": "Virgin material", "properties": { "id": "virgin-material", "name": "Virgin material", "section": "topic-sustainability", "aka": [ "primary raw material" ], "definition": "Raw material extracted from mines or brines rather than recovered by recycling. Recycled-content rules count the share of a battery's cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead that did not come from virgin sources.", "related": [ "recycled-content", "critical-raw-materials", "recycling", "limiting-reagent" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/virgin-material/", "mentions": [ "cobalt" ] } }, "edges": [ { "id": "edge:belongsTo/term:virgin-material/topic:topic-sustainability", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "topic:topic-sustainability", "type": "belongsTo", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json" } }, { "id": "edge:relatedTo/term:virgin-material/term:recycled-content", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "term:recycled-content", "type": "relatedTo", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json", "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim" } }, { "id": "edge:relatedTo/term:virgin-material/term:critical-raw-materials", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "term:critical-raw-materials", "type": "relatedTo", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json", "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim" } }, { "id": "edge:relatedTo/term:virgin-material/term:recycling", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "term:recycling", "type": "relatedTo", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json", "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim" } }, { "id": "edge:relatedTo/term:virgin-material/term:limiting-reagent", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "term:limiting-reagent", "type": "relatedTo", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json", "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim" } }, { "id": "edge:mentions/virgin-material/cobalt", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "term:cobalt", "type": "mentions", "properties": { "sourceFile": "terms.json", "method": "build_glossary.mention_index + mentions", "field": "definition", "meaning": "Text mention; not a causal claim" } }, { "id": "edge:illustratedBy/term:virgin-material/visual:virgin-make-up", "source": "term:virgin-material", "target": "visual:virgin-make-up", "type": "illustratedBy", "properties": { "sourceFile": "visual-pages.json" } } ], "neighbors": [ { "id": "topic:topic-sustainability", "type": "Topic", "label": "Supply chain and regulation", "properties": { "id": "topic-sustainability", "name": "Supply chain and regulation", "lede": "Where the materials come from, what a battery’s carbon footprint is, and the rules that govern it from mine to market.", "context": "Keep boundaries, dates, geography and units.", "example": "Carbon footprints can be compared only with compatible boundaries and functional units.", "lesson_url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/fundamentals/cell-production/", "lesson_label": "Open production context" } }, { "id": "term:recycled-content", "type": "Term", "label": "Recycled content minimum", "properties": { "id": "recycled-content", "name": "Recycled content minimum", "section": "topic-sustainability", "definition": "The EU Battery Regulation’s requirement that industrial and EV batteries declare the share of recycled cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead in their active materials, and from 2031 meet minimums of 16 % cobalt, 6 % lithium, 6 % nickel and 85 % lead, rising again in 2036.", "unit": "%", "related": [ "eu-battery-regulation", "recycling", "battery-passport", "collection-target", "virgin-material" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/recycled-content/", "mentions": [ "cobalt" ] } }, { "id": "term:critical-raw-materials", "type": "Term", "label": "Critical raw materials", "properties": { "id": "critical-raw-materials", "name": "Critical raw materials", "section": "topic-sustainability", "definition": "Materials that an economy depends on and whose supply is concentrated or at risk: for batteries, lithium, cobalt, nickel, natural graphite and manganese. The EU and US both list them and attach sourcing and recycling targets.", "related": [ "lithium-carbonate", "cobalt", "natural-graphite", "eu-battery-regulation", "recycling" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/critical-raw-materials/", "mentions": [ "graphite", "manganese" ] } }, { "id": "term:recycling", "type": "Term", "label": "Battery recycling", "properties": { "id": "recycling", "name": "Battery recycling", "section": "topic-recycling", "definition": "Recovering lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and aluminium from end-of-life cells and production scrap. Scrap is today’s main feedstock; vehicle returns will dominate in the 2030s, and regulation now sets minimum recovery rates.", "related": [ "black-mass", "hydrometallurgy", "pyrometallurgy", "direct-recycling", "eu-battery-regulation", "collection-target" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/recycling/", "mentions": [ "cobalt", "production-scrap" ] } }, { "id": "term:limiting-reagent", "type": "Term", "label": "Limiting reagent", "properties": { "id": "limiting-reagent", "name": "Limiting reagent", "section": "topic-recycling", "aka": [ "limiting element" ], "definition": "The reactant that runs out first and so caps how much product a reaction can make, given the fixed proportions of its formula. When recovered metals are made back into cathode, the scarcest element relative to the recipe limits the batch; the others are left over or topped up with new material.", "related": [ "cathode-active-material", "precursor", "virgin-material", "closed-loop-recycling" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/limiting-reagent/", "mentions": [ "cathode" ] } }, { "id": "term:cobalt", "type": "Term", "label": "Cobalt", "properties": { "id": "cobalt", "name": "Cobalt", "section": "topic-sustainability", "definition": "The metal that stabilises layered-oxide cathodes, mined largely in the Democratic Republic of Congo under scrutiny for working conditions. Its price and ethics have driven the industry from LCO and NMC111 towards high-nickel and cobalt-free LFP.", "related": [ "nmc", "lco", "high-nickel", "critical-raw-materials", "due-diligence" ], "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/cobalt/", "mentions": [] } }, { "id": "visual:virgin-make-up", "type": "Visual", "label": "What the loop lacks is bought virgin", "properties": { "title": "What the loop lacks is bought virgin", "summary": "An element allowed to be bought tops the batch up to its recipe, which lowers the recycled share of that element.", "readout": "An NMC 622 batch of 8000 kg needs 573 kg of lithium; with 500 kg recovered, 73 kg is bought virgin and the batch’s lithium is 87 % recycled.", "formula": "m_virgin = max(0, w_e × m_CAM − m_e,recovered); recycled share = 1 − m_virgin / (w_e × m_CAM)", "note": "w_Li is 0.0716 in NMC 622. A recovered surplus beyond the recipe is left over and does not raise the batch’s recycled share above 100 %.", "software": { "status": "reference", "label": "Reference concept", "body": "battery-core does not model cathode synthesis. The Lemonergy closed-loop recycling study shows the virgin make-up of each element for a returned fleet.", "href": "../glossary/#topic-sustainability" }, "html": "
Lithium for an NMC 622 batch
Lithium for an NMC 622 batchCathode batch (kg) versus Lithium (kg). Lithium the batch needs; Recovered lithium; Bought virgin. Interpretation follows the graphs.02,0002264,5004517,0006779,5009021.20e+4Cathode batch (kg)Lithium (kg)
Lithium the batch needsRecovered lithium (dashed)Bought virgin
" } } ] }