As mentioned in previous blog posts, the superior performance characteristics of lithium-ion batteries enhance the performance of our electronic devices. However, handling lithium-ion batteries at the end-of-life stage of electronics requires extra care. If batteries are not handled properly, there is an increased risk of fire, contamination, and other negative impacts.

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How to identify lithium-ion batteries? Every lithium-ion battery has Li-ion as its identifying mark. This can be written on the material or placed on the battery as a sticker.

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Are you a manufacturer, OEM or distributor of disposable electrical equipment?

The following is a short list of considerations for electronic devices containing lithium-ion batteries. *Please note that this article focuses on EU legislation and different rules may apply in other regions.

Do

Before proceeding to material recycling, make sure the batteries are removed from the device and stored separately.
If the battery cannot be separated easily, contact an expert to remove the battery and ensure that the specialized disposal facility has the appropriate licenses.
Insulate battery terminals or cables to prevent short circuits.
Pack batteries in UN-approved barrels or boxes (depending on type), separated by layers of dry sand (for lithium-ion batteries) or vermiculite (for other battery types)
For damaged packaging, follow the UN-approved drumming procedures above and wrap swollen or leaking batteries in plastic.
Please follow Sims Lifecycle Services' battery disposal decision tree at the end of this article.

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No

Dispose of lithium-ion batteries with "regular" waste
Squeeze, puncture, throw, or do anything to the battery that may cause the electrodes to come into contact and cause a short circuit.
Mixing damaged and undamaged batteries
Placing large numbers of batteries together without adequate separation as this increases the risk of fire.
Place batteries or products containing batteries in any process not specifically designed to contain batteries.
Store discarded lithium-ion batteries indoors as they pose a high risk of short circuiting and catching fire.

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Why can't lithium-ion batteries be disposed of with normal chemical/industrial waste?

Lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries contain a variety of chemicals. Improper disposal can have serious consequences, such as environmental pollution and resource (material) loss.

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Lithium is highly reactive and difficult to control. Effects such as high temperatures, excessive charging voltages, short circuits or even overvoltage can cause the battery to undergo an exothermic reaction (a chemical reaction that releases energy through light or heat). In short: it can catch fire very quickly. This is why airlines do not allow spare lithium metal batteries or lithium-ion batteries to be carried in checked baggage.

Lithium-ion batteries contain a thin layer of polypropylene that separates the electrodes and prevents short circuits. However, if the device is crushed or punctured, a thermal event can occur because the battery short-circuits when the separator between the positive and negative components ruptures. The larger the battery, the stronger the thermal response. In this way, discarded batteries may ignite other nearby flammable materials. Particularly when collecting large numbers of batteries, a single lithium-ion battery can catch fire.

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Why is processing lithium-ion batteries as e-waste challenging?

There are three main reasons why processing li-ion batteries can be challenging. First, in many cases it can be difficult to remove these batteries from devices because they are bonded to the hardware.

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The second reason: during the dismantling process, it can be very easy to damage the battery. For this reason, professional separation and recycling generally requires specialized tools, processes and controls.

Finally, due to high temperature exothermic reaction, several fire incidents can be attributed to lithium-ion batteries. High-capacity batteries can be discharged to reduce the risk of fire or the release of toxic fumes during processing. The likelihood of a thermal event needs to be classified considerably higher than for conventional batteries, including when batteries are in storage.

Different standards apply in different regions, such as Weeelabex and CENELEC, however waste batteries are covered by European regulation including the WEEE directive and the Batteries directive. Treatment facilities must have the correct permits in place for processing waste batteries.

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How should consumers dispose of batteries?

Lithium-ion batteries can be recycled, but only at permitted treatment facilities. When discarded, they must be disposed of at a household e-waste collection point or battery-recycling drop off location. Of course, the electrical hazard needs to be carefully considered. High-capacity batteries can present an electric shock hazard as they can deliver higher voltages.

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How should professional users / companies dispose of batteries?

Ensure lithium batteries are not exposed to high temperature or prolonged sunlight. Do not expose batteries to water or humidity. Handle these batteries carefully and package them so the safety device (casing) is not damaged. This can easily happen when batteries are stacked without a protective layer or placed beneath heavy objects. Also, ensure cores cannot come into direct contact with each other and make sure batteries are professionally discharged before further processing. Failure to do so can lead to batteries rupturing, catching fire or exploding.

Li-ion batteries contain materials that can be recycled with the right process. Recyclable materials include metal compounds, ferrous metal, aluminium, copper, graphite and plastic.

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Sims Lifecycle Services has developed a battery disposal decision tree to help. This chart helps outline acceptance conditions and processing, and covers three different categories including (swollen) li-ion batteries, rechargeable (low-grade and high-grade) and small industrial batteries.

For safety reasons, batteries without protective casing and pouch cells have to be sorted separately for each of these three categories leading to six potential sorting categories (see diagram).

The Procedure at Sims Lifecycle Services
Undamaged batteries from electronic devices