A Word About Recycling with Ollie Maier
Last week I talked about Lithium-ion batteries — how useful they are and how their use is expanding greatly. However, I also went into the fire and explosion hazards of them. Today I will go into a little about what is being done to combat those hazards.
Although I didn’t go into it last week, such Lithium batteries were developed back in 1912, so the lithium technology is already over 100 years old. However, it wasn’t until the late 1970s that such batteries became commercially available and then they were not rechargeable and were very highly volatile. An accident in 1991 caused by one battery led to an important change in how they were made; thus the Lithium-ion battery was developed.
Although we hear about their fires and how they can explode, I find today the lithium-ion technology is now one of the safest battery chemistries available. Nearly two billion cells are produced every year and this number will continue to climb. They are everywhere and in everything electronic it seems. This is because it’s the most popular rechargeable battery style in the world with its high storage capacity, low weight, low maintenance, and ability to fit into a wide range of electronic devices. So why do we hear how dangerous they are?
Because of their widespread use — cellphones, portable computers, toys, even some in things many of us do not realize such as golf carts, RV, motorcycles, etc. — when a faulty battery does create a fire or explode, it makes a good story. This is natural for the media as its their job to point out the hazards of living — accidents, fires, robberies, killings, etc.
But even though their fires and explosions are few and far between, there must be the reasons behind these failures. And there is. The first is production flaws. If a company making them tries to push the limits without adequate testing under all possible conditions, unforeseen problems can occur. Although just a very few incidents occurred, this was the reason a popular cell phone maker found itself in trouble — the battery got too hot because of insufficient cooling space around it.
Another reason can be using less expensive parts to try to hold the selling price down. This was one of the reasons for the hoverboard fires of 2017; not only poor quality battery but also improper battery insulation.
Add to this poor engineering. Items that must be considered are the proper balance of a battery’s voltage and current, state of charge and power, depth of discharge, state of power, temperature it can get to, plus a few others. Improper decisions to save money and/or development time can lead to problems. Also, when possible, the system should be designed so if a problem could occur, the system should include a self shut-down feature.
And finally, both the proper charging system for the battery must be part of the package as should placing such batteries in a space which can provide adequate cooling and protection for them. Yes, the Lithium-ion battery is the safest one we have right now, but care must to taken in the production/design of things they are placed in as well as your responsibilities as a user — proper use and care.
As I try to give credit to all of you who recycle at the Green Guy Recycling Service drop-off site, here are the amounts for last month, August:
- Metals: 2,241,913 pounds
- Cardboard: 352,250 pounds
- Paper: 90,980 pounds
- Glass: 25,048 pounds
- Plastic: 15,965 pounds
- Monitors: 5,704 pounds
- Electronics: 3,317 pounds
- Used Oil: 1,059 Gallons
- Used oil filters: 200 Units
- Used Tires: 1,124
There was a number of other things also recycled there such as printer cartridges, rechargeable batteries, Styrofoam peanuts, plus some recycled items sold to citizens at a greatly reduced price which don’t show up in the above weights. Again, we should all be very proud of these amounts. I also appreciate everything recycled at other drop-off sites and curbside. A big thank you to all of you who recycle and are good stewards of all the blessings we have been given. Keep up the wonderful work.
Till next week, do have a great one...
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Ollie is a local citizen concerned with the environment and helping others. A retired Air Force fighter and instructor pilot, he is a graduate of Leadership San Marcos and received his degrees at Texas State University where he worked on staff before totally retiring. For questions or comments, he invites you to call him at 512-353-7432.or email omaier@txstate.edu.
