Environmental impacts associated with the aluminum-air battery electric vehicle fuel cycle

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6064030

Berger, K J.E.

The aluminum-air battery concept is discussed, and a scenario is developed which forecasts ten million aluminum-air electric vehicles in the US by the year 2000. An estimation is made regarding the consumption of natural resources and generation of wastes due to the aluminum-air battery's fuel cycle and to the increased demand on the US aluminum industry because of the scenario. The battery's fuel cycle considers the entire process of its generation and use; this includes the extraction of the raw material, processing, transportation, distribution, implementation and recycling. An analysis is also performed in which a comparison is made between the air emissions from an aluminum-air battery electric vehicle and those generated by a standard internal combustion engine vehicle. Finally, an examination is made of various ways by which potential adverse environmental impacts may be eliminated or reduced. The document concludes that no serious environmental impacts should be expected from the aluminum-air battery electric vehicle fuel cycle (provided a clean and inexpensive source of electricity is available) and that the introduction of such a vehicle could aid in reducing urban air pollution.

• OSTI ID: 6064030
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ALUMINIUM-AIR BATTERIES
FUEL CYCLE
WASTE PROCESSING
ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
AIR POLLUTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
MANAGEMENT
METAL-GAS BATTERIES
POLLUTION
PROCESSING
VEHICLES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
250900* - Energy Storage- Batteries
330300 - Advanced Propulsion Systems- Electric-Powered Systems
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety