LITHIUM BATTERY SAFETY

A question of information

Dubrovnik – September 10, 2013

Eucobat: Mission statement and objectives

Eucobat is the European association of national industry-driven collection schemes for batteries. They assure that all waste batteries are collected and recycled in an ecological sound way, and contribute this way to a better environment. Objectives: • Represent the interests of the national compliance

organizations for batteries in Europe • Deal with all matters of strategic, economic, scientific

and institutional interest for national compliance organizations for batteries in Europe

• Harmonize and standardize procedures and ways of working

• Follow-up of EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC

Eucobat: members

Eucobat: accomplishments

• Data collection and benchmarking: • Key figures 2011 – 2012

• Incident database

• Safety guidelines

• E-learning project (12/2013)

• Representation of interests of members at EU level

• Position papers: • Collection target

• Recycling efficiency

• Incident prevention project (10/2013)

• Fire extinguishing material project (10/2013)

Eucobat: Strategic Topics

• Data collection and benchmark • Collection rate:

• Collection Target • Calculation methodology • Definitions Portable – Industrial – Automotive batteries • Consumer behaviour

• Safety issues related to collection and transport • Recycling efficiency:

• Calculation methodology • Certification model

• Recycling capacity: • Available capacity • Required capacity

3 colour model

Identification of different waste battery flows and collection points where these can occur

• Damaged lithium batteries or lithium rechargeable with a weight per battery or cel > 500 g / piece (100 watt/h)

• General mix, with specific industrial / specialty batteries and possibility of large volumes of mono flow batteries

• General mix of household batteries

Safety starts with information and identification

Compliance organisations should identify especially

the orange and red collection points in order to :

- Raise awareness for safe collection and handling

- Give information on the risks involved

- Give recommendations to improve the safety

- Share best practices and solutions

No Identification

Information

Information should be based on either verified sources and/or own experiences and tests.

Eucobat is doing safety tests with various kinds of batteries in situations based on reality :

• Coins cells in short circuit exploding in carton recipients

• Lithium batteries catching fire in collection barrels

• Rechargeable damaged lithium batteries catching fire

Information

The fire caused by these situations is controlled with various types of extinguishing agents in order to test their effectiveness

• General mix of batteries (to test it as cushioning material)

• Sand

• Water

• Vermiculite

• Powder extinguisher

• Compressed Air Foam System extinghuisher

Share Information & best practices

The results of these tests will be documented by the Flemish institute for technological development (VITO)

and Inspyro, a spin off from a thermodynamics workgroup of the Leuven university.

All tests will be captured on film and picture and commented in order to share the best practices and

do‘s and don‘ts

methodology

All tests are performed in simulation of possible situations which can occur in real battery collection situations. • Capture on video • Still pictures • Written comment • Time registration • Thermo coupled data logger • Heat detecting camera

Pictures from the field tests

Damaged lithium solution

We will also include the new transport solution for damaged lithium batteries > 500 g - As presented by the collegues from GRS – in our testing programme and report on it.

Ways of communication

- Websites

- Leaflets

- Information cards (plastified for internal and external usage)

- Presentations for training purposes

- E-learning for self training