TALISSMAN AT THE GEI CONFERENCE
From 14 to 18 September 2026, the Giornate dell’Elettrochimica Italiana (GEI 2026), the annual national conference of the Electrochemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society, took place at the historic Palazzo di Brera in Milan, on the eve of the bicentenary of Alessandro Volta, the “father” of electrochemistry. Giuseppe Mongiovì from Politecnico di Torino attended the event and presented TALISSMAN through the poster “Integrating life cycle thinking into the sustainable design of emerging battery technologies: insights from the TALISSMAN project”. Università di Milano Università di Milano
The poster showed how TALISSMAN considers environmental impact from the earliest stages of research on its next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries. The project is developing two types of battery: one using a gel-like polymer electrolyte and one using a solid electrolyte. By assessing the environmental footprint of these technologies while they are still in the lab, researchers can spot potential problem areas early and steer choices on materials, cell design and manufacturing towards more sustainable options.
The work followed three steps. First, the team characterised each battery component and collected laboratory data on the anode, cathode and electrolyte. Next, they mapped the production process for each component, including materials, energy use and outputs. Finally, this data was used to calculate the environmental impact of each component, with early results already comparing the climate impact of different carbon materials used in the cathode.
Looking ahead, the team will estimate how these batteries would perform environmentally at industrial scale, assess the complete battery cell and extend the analysis to cover the full life of the battery, including recycling and reuse. The results will help define guidelines for producing lithium-sulfur batteries that are efficient, safe and aligned with EU sustainability goals.
