White papers, environment reports and studies

Lithium is an indispensable raw material for the production of modern batteries used in electric cars, smartphones, and laptops. In its latest white paper, “Lithium as a Battery Raw Material,” Fraunhofer FFB examines global lithium deposits and industrial processes for lithium extraction, highlights ecological impacts, and identifies potential for sustainable production and recycling strategies

Fraunhofer FFB, in collaboration with the PEM Chair at RWTH Aachen University, PEM Motion, and Capgemini, has published a white paper as part of the “Battery Cell Technology Cluster” explaining why process simulation is a strategic tool for optimizing battery cell production.

Together with the PEM Department of RWTH Aachen University, the Fraunhofer FFB has published a white paper on strategies and resources for an efficient and successful start-up of a gigafactory for battery cell production. The white paper outlines the organisational and technical hurdles associated with the ramp-up of a gigafactory and provides insights into how they can be overcome and the ramp-up process can be effectively managed.

The white paper by Fraunhofer FFB and Accenture focuses on digital solutions. For the study, 143 battery and digitalisation experts from mainly European and North American companies were surveyed in two stages. Firstly, the experts identified particularly effective use cases for digital solutions in battery production. These cases were integrated into a model of a battery factory with a capacity of 40 gigawatt hours, which the experts used to calculate and assess potential savings for each use case and production step.

The exponentially growing demand for battery cells, which are a key component for electromobility and the storage of renewable energy, can only be met if production is ramped up over the next few years. However, the construction of a gigafactory poses particular challenges for factory planning. To reduce risks and simplify commissioning, Metroplan and Fraunhofer FFB have developed a set of methods for planning and realising battery factories in line with requirements.

The Fraunhofer FFB environment report deals with sodium-ion batteries as an alternative battery technology. The researchers analyse the technological properties of the battery as well as the activities in research and industry relating to this technology - starting with material production and cell production through to the development of user markets. The environment report was produced as part of the overall "FoFeBat" project funded by the BMBF.

In the white paper, Fraunhofer FFB researchers show how the use of so-called "mini- and macro-environments" can reduce energy and operating costs in battery cell production, thereby creating great potential for competitive battery production in Germany and Europe.

The white paper scrutinises the materials of the systems used within the building and facilities and identifies key areas of application for plastic piping systems. The combination of expertise in thermoplastics on the part of project partner GF Piping Systems and expertise in battery cell production on the part of Fraunhofer FFB has led to new insights.

The whitepaper presents the results of a technology study that focuses on UV coating and UV wrapping with epoxy technology. In the first step, various requirements for the cell and then for the coating itself were defined in order to determine suitable evaluation criteria. Subsequently, both technologies were compared with each other in a paired comparison.

The environment report on the European battery innovation system 2022 describes the current developments and challenges of the European battery market. The various industrial fields of battery cell production are divided into four chapters - from raw material extraction, material production and recycling, through mechanical and plant engineering and measurement technology, to cell production. In addition, the possibilities of the Fraunhofer Research Centre for Battery Cell Production FFB as a transfer unit for the faster industrial application of process technologies are outlined. Here you can download our report as a PDF free of charge. The environment report is available in German. We will be happy to inform you in future as soon as new white papers and studies are published and will send you further information on our research topics and our range of services on request.