Disposing of Lithium Batteries
Discussion
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/devon-vi...
Has anyone in other parts of the UK come across this problem?
Is there any way to safely dispose or recycle these batteries?
Has anyone in other parts of the UK come across this problem?
Is there any way to safely dispose or recycle these batteries?
Working link below.
Interesting video. Considering the the volatility of the batteries I would have never guessed that they would shred them .
https://youtu.be/s2xrarUWVRQ?si=QLxqvqPN3NWw7MnW
Interesting video. Considering the the volatility of the batteries I would have never guessed that they would shred them .
https://youtu.be/s2xrarUWVRQ?si=QLxqvqPN3NWw7MnW
For big packs like those in EVs, there's generally companies which will buy them to either repurpose or refurbish. The problem is the smaller packs in things like phone, laptops and power tools which are too small and fiddly to usefully reuse, repair, or (for the moment) recycle. Somehow we're going to have to get to the point where we recycle the smaller Li-Ion packs though.
Having said that, there is only risk of thermal runaway with charged batteries, and it feels like there should be a way to ensure that the cells are discharged before disposal at this sort of facility. I guess that would be far more expensive than just dumping them in a big pile in a field though.
ETA: The above video is interesting. I didn't know that sort of indiscriminate, fully automatic recycling of packs was viable. If it's really 70% more energy efficient than creating new batteries from scratch, surely it's got to be commercially viable to do here?
Having said that, there is only risk of thermal runaway with charged batteries, and it feels like there should be a way to ensure that the cells are discharged before disposal at this sort of facility. I guess that would be far more expensive than just dumping them in a big pile in a field though.
ETA: The above video is interesting. I didn't know that sort of indiscriminate, fully automatic recycling of packs was viable. If it's really 70% more energy efficient than creating new batteries from scratch, surely it's got to be commercially viable to do here?
Edited by kambites on Thursday 24th August 09:08
P675 said:
Can't they go back to China like our other rubbish.
China takes very little of our rubbish these days - it's almost impossible to get used things into China, even for big multinationals, which is a right pain when it comes to getting failure analysis done on products which were built there. kambites said:
P675 said:
Can't they go back to China like our other rubbish.
China takes very little of our rubbish these days - it's almost impossible to get used things into China, even for big multinationals, which is a right pain when it comes to getting failure analysis done on products which were built there. Also the battery recycling industry is coming along fine, there is a lot of money in old batteries, so it was always going to work, plastics on the other hand...
kambites said:
autumnsum said:
I send failed products to China every year and have done so for years.
In practice perhaps it's easier for individuals than companies then! Bit off-topic anyway, the fact remains that very little of our rubbish goes to China. Sending a skip of rubbish like our local councils were in to a while ago, yeah, China ain't going to be taking that back.
Jaguar are setting up to re-purpose EV batteries:
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-recycl...
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/business-recycl...
Is it economic to recycle EV cells at the moment without subsidies? I doubt it, partly due to the capital investment required and partly due to the lack of EVs with knackered battery packs.
Moving forward a few years, if Tesla's structural packs become the norm, I don't see a business case for recycling them. If this is the less than green future, it'll need subsidies to get the job done.
Moving forward a few years, if Tesla's structural packs become the norm, I don't see a business case for recycling them. If this is the less than green future, it'll need subsidies to get the job done.
jmn said:
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/devon-vi...
Has anyone in other parts of the UK come across this problem?
Is there any way to safely dispose or recycle these batteries?
What a load of handwringing bHas anyone in other parts of the UK come across this problem?
Is there any way to safely dispose or recycle these batteries?
ks; they're not going to go on fire, if they go on fire it's the owner's problem. Do you require all industrial installations to have run-off water handling in the event they burn down? That bizarre standard exists for no industry outside of oil refineries and chemical works. Large scale recycling will appear at some point. The alarmist garbage appearing in the national and local press is surprisingly shrill and reminds me that the oil industry still have a lot of money to spend on PR; a more or less identical story appeared in our local rag mithering about a battery site hundreds of yards from the nearest house, aside from spouting nonsense about fire risk it wittered on about noise from the ventilation fans. Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff