One of the industry’s most difficult challenges is lithium-Ion batteries. LIBs are now embedded in almost all electronic devices, making disposal much harder. Because of their hazardous nature, they cannot be thrown away and require special handling during recycling. When people dispose of LIBs irresponsibly, they often cause large-scale chemical fires. Today’s blog post serves as a checklist for IT teams by breaking down the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, how device damage can lead to battery fires, and how to store, package, and transport them safely.
Lithium-Ion Batteries: The Threat Inside Your Retired Devices
Lithium batteries are a persistent challenge for ITAD facilities, and many don’t realize there are multiple types. For example, lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes in rigid metal cases, resulting in high density for laptops and other tools. Lithium-polymer batteries use gel or solid electrolytes in lightweight, flexible pouches, allowing thin, customizable shapes for devices such as phones and drones. Embedded batteries are built into cells inside devices and cannot be removed, creating significant challenges for the e-waste industry.
Batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, pose fire and explosion hazards during returns if handled improperly. Improper packaging and poor handling often result in damaged or swollen devices upon return, which can cause thermal runaways. A thermal runaway occurs when a cell is punctured, which can easily happen if a device is damaged or swollen during transit. This can result in large-scale battery chemical fires that may take days, if not weeks, to extinguish. Battery fires can severely damage an enterprise’s reputation, finances, and operations. Battery fires have destroyed hundreds of facilities, resulting in extensive losses of inventory and infrastructure. Delayed operations can harm a company to the point of closure and can also lead to lengthy claims and insurance processes.
Handling Lithium Batteries During Asset Disposition
One of the biggest issues occurs during device return. IT asset disposition providers collect retired IT equipment for reuse or recycling, including device returns, which often arrive damaged or swollen. By this point, retired IT assets have become an afterthought that IT teams no longer want to deal with. It’s easier to hand them off as someone else’s problem, which often leads to poor storage and packaging. This often means devices arrive at ITAD facilities in poor condition or even damaged, increasing the risk of battery fires.
Your IT Checklist for Proper Battery Handling
Damaged and Swollen Batteries
To prevent battery fires and reduce risk, IT teams must first inspect and separate batteries. Separating battery-containing devices beforehand helps prevent further damage to other assets or thermal reactions. Requiring battery inspections and condition checks before processing helps identify and locate potential fire hazards before they become problems. Identifying swollen, damaged, or recalled batteries before repair or recycling provides the information needed to decide how to proceed and what measures to take to prevent battery fires. Check power-state requirements before shipment to ensure devices are stored and packaged appropriately before transit.
Terminal Protection
Each lithium battery has exposed metal positive and negative terminals that must be insulated to prevent accidental short circuits. If exposed, battery terminals may touch each other, contact metal bins, or rub against other batteries during transport and rapidly discharge their remaining stored energy. This can cause overheating and trigger thermal runaway, leading to battery fires. Terminal protection is required under DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations to prevent short circuits during transit.
ITAD providers and corporate IT teams use several standardized terminal protection methods to meet regulatory compliance requirements. DOT approves terminal taping as a preventative measure, which involves covering the exposed positive and negative contacts with non-conductive, heavy-duty electrical tape or clear packaging tape.
Storage Limits
Proper storage is just as important as packaging for lithium batteries, as excessive heat can cause them to swell and explode. Bulk enterprise refreshes are exceptionally hazardous because of the volume of devices that come through ITAD facilities and the number of batteries that require handling. Lithium battery cells can trigger a chain reaction, igniting nearby batteries and making decommissioning data center and network equipment especially hazardous.
Shipping Rules
Under DOT regulations, lithium cells or batteries that have been damaged or that the manufacturer has identified as defective for safety reasons may be transported only by highway, rail, or vessel. They are strictly forbidden for transport by aircraft and must be packaged according to DOT provisions.
- Place the cell battery in individual, non-metallic inner packaging that completely encloses the cell or battery.
- Surround the inner packaging with non-combustible, electrically non-conductive, absorbent cushioning material.
- Package the inner packaging in Packing Group I performance level packaging.
- Mark the outer packaging with an indication that the package contains a damaged/defective battery.
Additionally, only one inner package may be placed in an outer package, and no HMR requirements apply to DDR lithium cells or batteries.
Partner with a Certified Vendor for Battery Handling
Numerous certifications, regulations, and hoops to jump through ensure proper precautions are taken when it comes to battery handling, and partnering with a certified provider is crucial for regulatory compliance. Budget constraints and the availability of trained personnel typically limit in-house handling. In contrast, ITAD providers are trained to use standardized processes to control costs and handle hazardous materials. ITAD providers like HOBI maintain R2v3 and ISO 14001 standards and employ well-trained staff skilled in hazardous waste disposal. ITAD vendors also provide centralized workflows and documentation to ensure full compliance for all battery-containing devices.
Questions to Ask Your ITAD Vendor
Responsibility is shifting from vendors to clients, so you must ensure your downstream ITAD partners perform due diligence in safe, compliant battery handling.
- What environmental and safety certifications do you hold?
- Are your facilities fully compliant with DOT 49 CFR 173.185?
- Do you provide specialized bins for loose or swollen batteries on-site?
- Are your transport drivers hazmat-certified?
- What specific methods do you use to prevent short circuits during sorting?
- How do your technicians handle batteries embedded in devices?
- What is your protocol for damaged, defective, or recalled batteries?
- Do you audit downstream recycling partners? If so, how?
- What fire suppression systems are installed in your sorting and storage areas?
As an R2v3, RIOS, ISO 14001, and NAID AAA-certified IT asset management and disposition enterprise with more than 30 years of industry experience, HOBI is uniquely qualified for hazardous material handling.
Contact HOBI today to schedule a battery-safe pickup at 877-814-2620 or sales@hobi.com.