The IoT has been steadily growing over the last few decades, increasing the amount of electronic devices in the world. As a result, this increase in electronics usage has also increased concern regarding the safety of Lithium Ion batteries, specifically their removal. LIBs are in most electronic devices used every day including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and now growing increasingly in the electric vehicle industry. The escalating use of LIBs raises several obvious issues, the two most important being disposition and transportation.
The main question faced where LIBs are concerned is what to do with them after use. This is especially true for EV batteries, which are becoming more prevalent. In a few years time there will be a multitude of EV batteries ready for disposition, but what does one do with a giant lithium ion EV battery? The safest and most environmentally sound options are reuse and recycling. Reused batteries will eventually degrade and will need to be recycled, which provides eco-friendly benefits such as fuel in furnaces to melt down valuable metals. This can be accomplished in end-of-life and processing facilities like HOBI, however, this brings us to the second concern, transportation.
There is always a possibility that something will go wrong when transporting IT assets, but transporting IT assets containing lithium batteries is perhaps the most dangerous task given the dangers of LIBs, specifically their explosive nature. Lithium ion batteries are known to combust and start chemical fires when damaged or charged. This makes the removal process extremely critical, as well as transportation.
Safe transportation of LIBs has become a hot topic in the industry, with many processing facilities addressing the issue and trying to come up with safer methods of transport.
For more information regarding safe transportation of LIBs for reuse, recycle and disposition, HOBI co-founder and president Craig Boswell is moderating a panel today at the eReuse Conference in Colorado. The Electronics Reuse Conference is an annual event where professionals in the industry meet and discuss topics related to repair, reuse and refurbishment of electronics.
HOBI is an R2v3, RIOS and ISO-14001 certified IT asset management and disposition enterprise with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. We offer a range of services including repair, refurbishment and remarketing opportunities. Contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com or call 817-814-2620 for more information about our end-of-life ITAD services.