Currently, batteries are the biggest fire risk for recycling and waste sites across the globe.
From mobile phones, electric vehicles and machinery to children’s toys and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment), as consumers we rely heavily on batteries. For recycling and waste operations – the risks are everywhere.
But what exactly are the risks, and how can we limit them to ensure safe waste and recycling sites?
What are the risks?
With any battery, regardless of type, shape or size, the primary risk is thermal runaway. This is where the cells of a battery malfunction (either due to damage, mechanical failure or overvoltage) and extra heat is generated, leading to a quick spike in the temperature of the battery. If not handled quickly, a battery in thermal runaway can self-propagate, generating its own oxygen source to fuel flames, spreading them amongst cells. This can result in large fires, potential explosions and dangerous gas emissions.
Once in thermal runaway, a battery is incredibly difficult to control or supress. As a result, they are typically isolated by firefighters and left to burn out on their own, resulting in prolonged operational downtime and damage to important facilities and machinery.
How are the risks arising?
Our reliance and consumption of electronics is ever-growing, leaving recycling sites to deal with a huge increase of batteries in their waste streams. Aside from individual batteries and electrical equipment, even scrap metals and other materials must be stripped of their electrical elements before they can be recycled.
From the growing number of sites experiencing battery fires over recent months, it’s clear that protection and procedures have not yet been sufficiently implemented across the industry.
Sites producing sustainable fuels like RDF (refuse derived fuel) and SRF (solid recovered fuel) are particularly at risk. While these sites often screen waste streams for batteries and electrical components before they reach the shredder, this is not a fool-proof method, and batteries can often be missed.
When missed, batteries are processed through the shredder, damaging them into a state of thermal runaway. After shredding, they are mixed with SRF and RDF – highlight combustible fuels. This is the perfect environment for a fire to start.
Facing a similar problem, waste transfer stations risk crushing batteries with heavy equipment, exposing them to water damage or striking them with shovels – all potential causes of thermal runaway.
What’s the solution?
Batteries are here to stay, and it’s unlikely they’ll be produced in a safer way for the foreseeable future. Although industry guidance and advice exists for fighting the risks at waste and recycling sites, there are no legal requirements for safe battery disposal and handling.
Consistently moving safety standards in the right direction, The Environment Agency (EA) is ensuring for waste and recycling sites identify and address their individual risks with the aid of a fire prevention plan (FPP).
Prevention and suppression solutions
The primary aim should be to cool and control battery fire risks to prevent thermal runaway from happening in the first place.
In reality, waste and recycling streams move very quickly. These sites operate with a variety of processes in succession, such as conveyors, shredding, sorting and bailing – leaving many different risks to consider. This also limits the effectiveness of traditional fire detection systems.
From working with a range of businesses in the waste and recycling industry, heat detection systems stand out as the best for combatting and preventing battery fires in waste streams. Technologies such as infra-red heat detection, linear heat detection and thermal imaging can swiftly detect excess heat on conveyor belts, notifying of a risk and triggering a temporary operational shutdown. The battery risk can then be addressed with local application fire prevention technology, such as deluge or cannon systems, resulting in minimal disruption and damage to operations and surrounding equipment.
What difference does it make?
In the waste and recycling industry, batteries are evidently an increasing risk. By addressing this risk with fire protection, you can:
- Ensure team safety
- Limit operational disruption
- Protect valuable machinery and equipment.
The more we consume and dispose of electrical goods, the greater the fire risk at waste and recycling sites.
For more information, or to book your free site assessment today, visit our recycling and waste management page or call 0800 975 5767.