1 Correction: Int J Life Cycle Assess (2021) 26:2024–2039 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-01976-0

An error was found in the Giga-3.7 model underlying the published research article. The error pertains to the units specifying the amount of Heating and Cooling required in the “Factory construction and operation unit process” presented in the Table S2-10 of the supporting information (SI) document linked to the research article, presented as Table A below. In this table, and in the original Giga-3.7 model, the units for Heating and Cooling values were defined as GJ, while they should have been reported and modeled as TJ. This has now been corrected, and as a result of this change, the overall contribution to potential global warming impacts from the giga-factory model increase from 104 to 109 kg CO2-eq./kWh in the reference scenario. Specifically, for this scenario and these heating and cooling inputs, their contributions to global warming impacts increase from 12 to 17 kg CO2-eq./kWh. The increase in the low-carbon scenario is very small and hence at giga-scale production remain as reported for the given number of value figures, i.e., 50 kg CO2-eq./kWh.

Updated results for all impact categories, originally reported in Table S6-2 of the SI, are also reported in Table B presented below. This table represents the underlying data for the Fig. 3 (Global warming impacts), Fig. 4 (Terrestrial acidification impacts), and Fig. 5 (Human carcinogenic toxicity impacts) in the main article. In none of the figures the change in the results has a perceivable change in the graphs; hence, they are not reproduced here.

Lastly, Table C below points to the changes in the “Factory construction & operation and WWT” row in Tables S6-3 to S6-20 presented in the SI. Most importantly, these corrections do not affect any of the conclusions drawn from the study or the main outcome of the research.

Following specific changes in the main article text are applicable.

  • Section 3.3.2 (Global warming impacts): the text in the first paragraph should now state: “The Small-3.7 model coupled to the reference scenario and exclusively primary metals results in 188 kg CO2-eq./kWh of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which reduce to 109 kg CO2-eq./kWh for the Giga-3.7 model.”

  • Section 3.3.2 (Global warming impacts): the text in the second paragraph should now state: “The giga-factory also requires heat and cooling, which adds about 17 kg CO2-eq./kWh emissions for the reference scenario. The total impact from electricity, heat and cooling usage in Giga-3.7 model, assuming the low-carbon scenario, is about 5 kg CO2-eq./kWh.”

Table A: Changes in Table S2-10 of the SI. Note the change in units for heating and cooling compared to the original reported table.

Process input

Normalized to unit process

Unit

Precious metal refinery

7.50E-02

Metal refinery

Electronic factory

7.01E-03

Electronics factory

Energy input

Normalized to unit process

Unit

Electricity

2.41E+01

GWh

Heating

4.83E+01

TJ

Cooling

5.97E+01

TJ

Product

Normalized to unit process

Unit

Operating battery factory

1

1-year of factory operation

Table B: Changes in Table S6-2 of the SI: Note that the changes from the original table occur only in the columns referring to burdens from heating and cooling, i.e., “Sweden, district heating and cooling” and “Additional burden from South Korea, district heating and cooling”.

Impact indicator

Recycled content

Sweden, electricity

Sweden, district heating and cooling

Additional burden from South Korea, electricity

Additional burden from South Korea, district heating and cooling

Additional burden from primary materials

Fine particulate matter formation, kg PM2.5 eq.

1.61E-01

2.91E-03

4.40E-03

5.62E-02

4.35E-03

7.50E-03

Fossil resource scarcity, kg oil eq.

1.42E+01

3.85E-01

3.28E-01

1.16E+01

5.58E+00

4.92E-01

Freshwater ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

2.14E+01

4.43E-01

4.88E-01

9.86E-01

2.60E-02

3.13E+00

Freshwater eutrophication, kg P eq.

3.72E-02

9.01E-04

8.03E-04

3.41E-02

9.62E-04

4.52E-03

Global warming, kg CO2 eq.

4.29E+01

2.60E+00

2.63E+00

4.43E+01

1.46E+01

2.25E+00

Human carcinogenic toxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.16E+01

5.12E-01

4.28E-01

2.24E+00

2.27E-01

-2.88E+00

Human non-carcinogenic toxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

3.46E+02

5.58E+00

7.04E+00

4.32E+01

-1.19E-01

3.93E+01

Ionizing radiation, kBq Co-60 eq.

8.10E+00

1.99E+01

1.29E+00

-6.50E+00

-1.01E+00

3.26E-02

Land use, m2a crop eq.

4.43E-01

8.16E-01

2.12E+00

-3.79E-01

-2.09E+00

-5.61E-02

Marine ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

2.73E+01

5.49E-01

6.16E-01

1.37E+00

4.90E-02

3.88E+00

Marine eutrophication, kg N eq.

7.49E-03

4.04E-04

1.08E-04

2.04E-03

4.10E-05

3.87E-05

Mineral resource scarcity, kg Cu eq.

9.76E+00

3.06E-02

2.81E-02

5.40E-03

2.60E-03

2.28E-01

Ozone formation, Human health, kg NOx eq.

1.37E-01

6.50E-03

1.11E-02

1.07E-01

4.03E-03

1.02E-02

Ozone formation, Terrestrial ecosystems, kg NOx eq.

1.42E-01

6.62E-03

1.14E-02

1.08E-01

4.37E-03

1.05E-02

Stratospheric ozone depletion, kg CFC11 eq.

3.33E-05

5.68E-06

3.58E-06

8.35E-06

1.56E-06

1.05E-06

Terrestrial acidification, kg SO2 eq.

4.29E-01

6.69E-03

9.88E-03

9.12E-02

7.98E-03

1.55E-02

Terrestrial ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.20E+03

1.10E+01

1.48E+01

1.65E+01

-7.60E+00

1.29E+01

Water consumption, m3

5.16E+00

3.94E-01

1.15E-01

-1.49E-01

-2.50E-02

1.76E-02

Table C: Changes in the Factory construction & operation and waste water treatment unit process. The only unit process affected by the corrections reported is the “Factory construction & operation and waste water treatment” unit process. The following table points to the changes in the “Factory construction & operation and WWT” row in Tables S6-3 to S6-20 presented in the SI.

 

Corrected data

Reported data

 

South Korean mix

Swedish mix

South Korean mix

Swedish mix

Global warming, kg CO2 eq.

1.51E+01

2.70E+00

9.68E+00

1.80E+00

Human carcinogenic toxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.43E+00

9.70E-01

1.24E+00

8.43E-01

Terrestrial acidification, kg SO2 eq.

2.90E-02

1.05E-02

2.34E-02

7.17E-03

Fine particulate matter formation, kg PM2.5 eq.

1.59E-02

4.79E-03

1.33E-02

3.31E-03

Fossil resource scarcity, kg oil eq.

4.30E+00

4.63E-01

2.42E+00

3.55E-01

Freshwater ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.14E+00

9.65E-01

9.98E-01

8.23E-01

Freshwater eutrophication, kg P eq.

7.86E-03

1.54E-03

7.37E-03

1.30E-03

Human non-carcinogenic toxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

2.02E+01

1.27E+01

1.82E+01

1.05E+01

Ionizing radiation, kBq Co-60 eq.

2.51E+00

3.99E+00

2.43E+00

3.59E+00

Land use, m2a crop eq.

2.16E-01

1.03E+00

2.08E-01

2.78E-01

Marine ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.46E+00

1.21E+00

1.28E+00

1.03E+00

Marine eutrophication, kg N eq.

5.39E-04

1.66E-04

4.96E-04

1.33E-04

Mineral resource scarcity, kg Cu eq.

7.09E-02

6.93E-02

6.22E-02

6.12E-02

Ozone formation, Human health, kg NOx eq.

2.98E-02

9.71E-03

2.49E-02

5.85E-03

Ozone formation, Terrestrial ecosystems, kg NOx eq.

3.03E-02

9.93E-03

2.52E-02

6.00E-03

Stratospheric ozone depletion, kg CFC11 eq.

4.61E-06

2.72E-06

2.96E-06

1.47E-06

Terrestrial ecotoxicity, kg 1,4-DCB eq.

1.85E+01

1.84E+01

1.65E+01

1.36E+01

Water consumption, m3

8.35E-02

1.19E-01

5.78E-02

8.43E-02