Study to evaluate the safety concept for the collection of lithium batteries
The increasing quantities of lithium batteries in the waste stream require a review of safety concepts to reduce the risk of fire. Incidents in sorting plants are often caused by the incorrect disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
bifa Umweltinstitut GmbH has submitted the preliminary final report on the review and assessment of applied safety concepts for the collection of lithium batteries as part of the return of batteries and battery-powered electrical appliances. The research project was commissioned by GRS Service GmbH.
After various incidents involving damage in sorting plants for packaging waste and other household waste, it can be assumed that incorrectly disposed of old electrical appliances containing lithium batteries can trigger fires. There appears to be a significant increase in the number of fires caused by improperly collected old electrical appliances. Currently, lithium batteries account for around 30 percent of the portable batteries placed on the market in Germany, and a significant increase is expected in the coming years. In addition to the strong growth in the area of device and industrial batteries, a very strong growth can also be seen for electrical devices operated with lithium batteries, e.g. for power tools, garden and household devices, e-bikes, entertainment electronics, communication devices, hearing aids and similar.
In the context of legally regulated, extended producer responsibility, the collection rates for spent batteries and waste electrical equipment must be increased. Lithium batteries are classified as dangerous goods under transport law, which means that high safety and fire protection requirements must be met during transport and storage.
The extensive study has provided a wide range of insights and identified various fields of action that now need to be addressed.