汽车行业电动化已成为各国道路交通节能减排的主要措施之一。近年来，随着新能源汽车的保有量和渗透率不断上升，全球各国动力电池的需求也随之快速增长，这导致制备动力电池正极的关键金属原材料如锂、镍、钴面临着不同程度的供应风险。此外，当车用动力电池容量衰减至80%左右时，已无法满足车主的使用需求，退役动力锂离子电池的规模也将在未来持续高速增长。因此，系统性分析动力电池正极材料制备、回收环节的生命周期碳排放，并评估回收再生利用环节对电池生命周期碳排放的减排潜力，对于推动电动汽车的健康有序发展具有重要的应用价值。本研究通过企业环评、文献调研、电话访谈、企业实地调研等方式获得我国动力电池制备企业实际粗矿精炼流程和材料图谱，并构建电动汽车动力电池关键原材料的生命周期排放清单。在此基础上，结合已有原辅料及能源排放因子数据库分析动力电池正极制备、回收过程的生命周期碳排放。最后，基于不同种类电池正极的再生回收利用过程，系统评估了正极材料全生命周期碳排放的减排潜力。研究结果表明，2017~2022年企业主流制备路线下我国硫酸镍、硫酸钴、硫酸锰全生命周期碳排放均值分别为4.2、4.8、4.0 tCO2/t材料，且各企业的碳排放结果差异较大。以硫酸镍为例，各企业生命周期碳排放在4.0~10.5 tCO2/t硫酸镍之间波动；其中，以纯镍为原材料制备硫酸镍的企业为4.0 tCO2/t硫酸镍，比以氢氧化镍为原材料制备的企业低62%。不同企业物料能源投入、制备工艺不同是导致上述差异的重要原因。正极材料方面，我国镍钴锰三元正极、镍钴铝三元正极、磷酸铁锂正极材料平均全生命周期碳排放分别为24.8、27.7、9.8 tCO2/t正极材料。与GREET模型结果进行比较，发现导致差异的原因众多，包括工艺路线、电网排放因子、全生命周期模型边界设定，等等。回收过程中产生的金属盐、正极粉末等物质对动力电池正极生命周期碳排放抵减有重要影响。本研究采用抵减法评估回收环节对不同电池正极材料碳减排效益，发现镍钴锰三元正极在不同回收效率假设下，碳排放减排比例为31%~38%，其中硫酸钴对正极的减排潜力影响最大。在不同回收效率假设下，镍钴铝三元正极、磷酸铁锂正极材料碳排放减排比例则分别为24%~31%和16%~28%。

The electrification process of the automotive industry has become a primary measure worldwide for energy efficiency and emissions reduction in road transportation. With the rapid growth in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years, the global demand for power batteries has been steadily increasing. In recent years, with the increasing ownership and penetration rates of new energy vehicles, the demand for power batteries worldwide has continued to rise. However, key metal raw materials for manufacturing power battery cathodes, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, still face varying degrees of supply risks. As the capacity of power batteries declines to around 80%, some batteries may no longer meet the usage needs of vehicle owners, leading to a significant increase in the scale of retired lithium-ion power batteries in the next decade. Therefore, analyzing the life cycle carbon emissions of the manufacturing and recycling stages of the cathode materials for power batteries, and evaluating the emission reduction potential of recycling and reuse stages on the life cycle carbon emissions of batteries, are of significant practical value for promoting the healthy and orderly development of electric vehicle industry.This study firstly obtained the actual crude ore refining processes and inventory data of power battery enterprises in China through methods such as enterprise environmental impact assessments, literature reviews, telephone interviews, and on-site visits, and then constructed a life cycle inventory of key raw materials. Next, based on existing emission factors databases of raw material and energy, this study calculated the life cycle carbon emissions of power battery cathode manufacturing and recycling processes. Finally, this study assessed the emission reduction potential of recycling processes for different types of cathodes on the overall life cycle carbon emissions.The results show that under mainstream manufacturing routes from 2017 to 2022, the average life cycle carbon emissions of nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, and manganese sulfate in China are 4.2, 4.8, and 4.0 tCO2/t material, respectively. There are significant differences in carbon emissions among enterprises. For example, for nickel sulfate, the life cycle carbon emissions of different enterprises range from 4.0 to 10.5 tCO2/t nickel sulfate. The average life cycle carbon emissions of nickel-cobalt-manganese cathodes, nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathodes, and lithium iron phosphate cathode materials in China are 24.8, 27.7, and 9.8 tCO2/t cathode material, respectively, with differences from the GREET model results attributed to different process routes, grid emission factors, and life cycle model boundary settings.The materials generated during the recycling process, such as metal salts and black powders, have a significant impact on offsetting the life cycle carbon emissions of power battery cathodes. This study used offsetting methods to assess the carbon emission reduction benefits of recycling processes for different battery cathode materials. Under different recycling efficiency assumptions, the carbon emission reduction ratios of nickel-cobalt-manganese cathodes range from 31% to 38%, with cobalt sulfate having the greatest impact on emission reduction potential. The carbon emission reduction ratios of nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathodes and lithium iron phosphate cathode materials are 24% to 31% and 16% to 28%, respectively.