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I replaced a lithium ion battery in a device and the old battery is swollen/bulging but no otherwise damaged.

My municipality (NYC) requires many retailers to accept batteries or devices containing them but I am concerned that none of them can safely handle a damaged battery. I asked one retailer if they would accept my damaged battery and they told me that they would simply throw it away (which is expressly prohibited by city law) because they have no way to safely store or handle damaged batteries.

I have read from various sources that immersing the battery in salt water for an extended period of time (ranging from 1 day to 2 weeks!) will discharge the battery and that lithium (ion?) batteries that have been completely discharged can be safely thrown away with household trash.

But then other sources claim that the salt water can corrode the contacts of the battery's cells sufficiently to prevent complete discharge, thus rendering the battery both not completely discharged (and thus capable of thermal conflagration) and not capable of being discharged by any means.

So how could I safely dispose of a damaged lithium ion battery myself?

The NYC Special Waste Drop-Off Sites seem like my best bet in terms of someone else safely disposing of the battery but the info about those sites on the city's websites are worryingly vague or silent about whether they accept damaged batteries.

I don't want to assume that any of the organizations or institutions that are legally required to accept batteries are capable of safely doing so for my damaged battery. Given that one retailer has already told me that they would (illegally) dispose of the damaged battery, I'd like to know how to safely dispose of the battery, or at least render it (mostly) inert, myself.

Here's a very related question:

A bunch of example links:

Kenny Evitt
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  • In about all countries that care about the environment they have institutions that dispose virtually anything, you just have to call and ask them what place they have for your kind of wastefo. If they can safely dispose of waste from poisonous chemical lab experiments, then they surely can handle a lithium battery. Might just cost you a bit. You just have to do some phone calls. – PlasmaHH Oct 14 '16 at 14:21
  • The manufacturer often provides a small flyer that discusses proper disposal. If the manufacturer speaks English, you might just contact them for information about local (or at least U.S.) agencies they've already dealt with regarding disposal issues. Or contact the primary importer, as they'd almost certainly also have to know such things. I've been frustrated trying to talk with local authorities, as to them this is an exceptional event and they are often ignorant. The manufacturer and/or importer, on the other hand, will have had to deal with regulation and should have a formal answer. – jonk Oct 14 '16 at 14:26
  • All old lithium batteries are likely to be swollen to some extent, I believe. You battery is just 'old', not 'damaged', so I expect the normal process for collecting used batteries is intended to work in this case. – Sean Houlihane Oct 14 '16 at 15:30
  • @PlasmaHH Sure; and I've done this. But, for the purpose of this question, I'm assuming those institutions aren't trustworthy – which actually seems likely given my experience. – Kenny Evitt Oct 14 '16 at 18:37
  • @jonk The manufacturer of my actual device is Apple. The device specifically is an iPhone 5. [And Apple has a battery replacement program for that device specifically.](https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-battery/) And that's certainly an option for me. But I want to know what I can do myself were that *not* an option. – Kenny Evitt Oct 14 '16 at 18:40
  • @SeanHoulihane I'm very skeptical that my batter is just 'old'. In my case, I'm pretty sure I caused the phone, and thus battery, to overheat by using it continuously for hours while mostly enclosed in what's probably at least a mildly insulating material. The battery was swollen enough to push the display panel out of the front of the phone. I don't think that extent of swelling is normal to expect. Nor do I think the battery is safe to dispose like any other not-visibly-damaged battery. – Kenny Evitt Oct 14 '16 at 18:43
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    @KennyEvitt, maybe, I don't have the advantage of observing it (or any specialist knowledge), but very little excess pressure is required to make the standard foil bags swell - and gas is generated by the cells aging. Agreed, you killed the cell by overheating it, but this mostly accelerated the aging process from what I've read recently. – Sean Houlihane Oct 14 '16 at 18:48
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    Got it. But my experiences with local authorities in the western US are poor. Agencies do often hire someone who actually has the training and knowledge to answer such questions well. But finding those individuals, for me, has been hard and took lots of calendar time. Once you do, you are happy. But getting there is not so easy. You get a lot of people on the front lines with opinions, but they don't actually know. Also, I'd be wary that what some people think happens, is actually what does happen. Too much profit to be made by taking shortcuts along the line. – jonk Oct 14 '16 at 18:49
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    Then you are out of luck. Those things contain lithium and likely fluoride too, which both you can't safely dispose yourself – PlasmaHH Oct 14 '16 at 19:16
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    You are making this way too complicated. Discharge the battery using a resistor (forget about salt water) and then take it to the NYC Special Waste Drop-off Site. Most likely the battery has a protection circuit which will cut off discharge at around 3V or so. So use a resistor that draws around C/10 A, and leave it connected for 1 day. – user57037 Oct 16 '16 at 17:46
  • Do not make trouble for yourself by telling them the battery is damaged. Frankly, you are not qualified to make that determination. Just tell them you replaced it because it wasn't holding a charge. – user57037 Oct 16 '16 at 17:47
  • @mkeith An answer with some more details expanding on your comment about using a resistor would be appreciated. But not telling someone accepting the battery that it's damaged is irresponsible. It's okay if you're not able to answer my question but I want to know how to *responsibly* dispose of a damaged battery. – Kenny Evitt Oct 18 '16 at 14:12
  • Damaged is a judgement call. Tell them you took it out of a device and that it is swollen. Tell them as many truthful things as you feel are necessary. But don't specifically say that it is damaged unless it is leaking or something. – user57037 Oct 18 '16 at 16:31
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    Just came across this website: https://www.call2recycle.org/safety/damaged-defective-and-recalled-batteries/ – Nilesh Dattani Oct 05 '18 at 00:48
  • @NileshDattani That was perfect; thanks! I made an answer based on the info at the site. – Kenny Evitt Oct 10 '18 at 20:43
  • @KennyEvitt I'm late to the party. Some laws are based on poor understandings and bad Science. People who understand reality may or may not wish to follow such stupid laws. Not doing so can get you into trouble even if the law is stupid. A LiIon battery can be fully discharged then have a spike driven through its heart and it can then be dropped into water. When it stops showing any signs of life it can be regarded as essentially non toxic and non dangerous and can be sensibly disposed of in household rubbish - which may or may not be legal. – Russell McMahon Jun 21 '19 at 14:55
  • Note that at the stake driving stage it may prove more alive than expected. Dropping into water at that stage is usually 'safe enough'. A very large and very live battery may make a fuss but this will very very very seldom be a problem. Doing this outside may make sense :-). – Russell McMahon Jun 21 '19 at 14:55
  • @RussellMcMahon How exactly can a damaged battery be safely discharged? What's the point of puncturing it after doing so? What's the purpose of then immersing it in water? Are you then claiming that the water can then be simply dumped on the ground, safely? Do you have any sources for any of these claims that I or others might reasonably trust? The fact that your second comment mentions a "fuss" and that your disposal steps 'may make sense to be performed outside' undercuts your claim that doing so is safe. Ideally, a "fuss" (fire? extreme heat?) would be avoided. – Kenny Evitt Jun 21 '19 at 19:12
  • @KennyEvitt A politer approach is more likely to get a better response overall. | Using a search engine you can find many references to LiIon disposal. Opinions on the safety of the end products. There are definitely materials present that some would not like to see in landfill. || If by "damaged" you mean 'swelling'. -> As above - turn on device and operate until it stops. If desired a suitable resistor across terminals will continue the process - but not always easy and not really necessary. | Just immersing a battery in water for a few days will discharge it. ... – Russell McMahon Jun 22 '19 at 14:00
  • .. Adding say 1 teaspoon of salt per litre will hasten the process. The idea of a "spike through its heart" is to take the process further than many sites suggest. This gives the liquid access to the cells internals and will react with and dilute any remaining active substances. || Do please note the words " ... may prove ... than expected ... will very very very seldom ..."-> What you are abusing me for is safety cautions beyond what you'll usually get. If warning you to do any of this outside seems to extreme for your taste then feel free to do it inside and without discharging the ... – Russell McMahon Jun 22 '19 at 14:08
  • ... battery first. As this has a much larger chance of bad results I'd not recommend it. || The "still not dead" warning is because I had a colleague who recently did this and still found some life in a cell. It's not expected. But, if you want to live to my age you treat every LiIon cell as loaded and do not point one at anyone who you don't intend to kill. So, yes, **IDEALLY** a fuss would be avoided. You are not obliged to allow for one 'just in case' if you do not wish to,.I always try to. – Russell McMahon Jun 22 '19 at 14:12

5 Answers5

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Be clear there are two levels of "damaged": bulging, and breached.

Li-Ion batteries will have single thermal event: once the airtight case is breached they'll rapidly discharge: if there's enough energy in the battery they'll heat up perhaps to the point of catching fire. Once that's happened there's no more energy, it's just toxic waste. In my experience the batteries just get hot and smolder.

Thus you have one more option: (1) discharge the battery as much as you can, (2) move into a completely safe space, puncture the battery, let it heat up (or not), and then dispose of it like any other hazardous waste at a Household Hazardous Waste facility. At that point it's not a battery, it's chemicals.

https://www.epa.gov/hw/household-hazardous-waste-hhw

Practically what I do is tape over the terminals of the old battery, and gently deposit in a battery collection facility. They're the experts: it's up to them to determine where each battery goes. Every collection center already has to deal with the potential for fires, and the need for safe transport.

Frankly the advice to use a special $100 bag to dispose of such batteries is bad advice. Almost nobody will ever do it: the battery will either remain on the shelf or get chucked in the general trash, an outcome worse than the problem you set out to solve.

Bryce
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Nilesh Dattani linked to this site in a comment:

specifically this page:

From the above-linked page, on handling damaged batteries:

Call2Recycle offers a recycling service that meets the U.S. DOT packaging, handling and transportation requirements under a special permit granted by the federal government. The service provides the appropriate solution based on the battery type and applicable shipping requirements. We also provide services for defective and recalled batteries when, for example, a manufacturer or the Consumer Product Safety Commission have identified a performance or safety issue and the battery needs to be safely transported.

If you think you have a damaged, defective or recalled battery, visit the store or for more information or help, contact Customer Service, who will discuss the appropriate solution. You can read more about our battery recycling services below.

...

Consumers: Place the battery or device in a non-flammable material such as sand or kitty litter as soon as possible. Check the Consumer Product Safety Commission or manufacturer web site or visit the retailer you purchased it from to see if the battery or device has been recalled. If it has, follow the instructions.

As an alternative, place the battery or device (one per bag) in a clear plastic bag and take it to your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) recycling center. You can also contact a local Call2Recycle drop-off site to see if it accepts damaged batteries. Do not place them in the trash for any reason.

On the Call2Recycle store page are listed small and large "Damaged, Defective or Recalled Lithium Battery Kit[s]":

Unfortunately, the kits are somewhat expensive, $75 and $100 respectively. Fortunately, the site seems like it offers a very reasonable, and hopefully very safe, way to dispose of a damaged lithium ion battery.

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Kenny Evitt
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Lithium Ion batteries cannot be disposed of in your trash either! Although the back of a trash truck is usually wetter and less likely to feed the sparks from these batteries and start a fire-they are still considered a toxic material known as household hazardous waste. They pose numerous health and environmental hazards. When you discard them, they must be disposed of at a household hazardous waste collection point (check with your local landfill) or battery recycling drop off location, NOT placed in the trash.

Debansh Ray
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    It doesn't seem like you carefully read my question. I mentioned that someone already effectively offered to throw away the damaged battery with regular trash even tho that "is expressly prohibited by city law". There are also places in the world for which there are no 'household hazardous waste collection points'. The damaged battery was also refused by several places that otherwise accepts batteries for recycling. Even the 'special waste dropoff' in my city doesn't *explicitly* state that they accept *damaged* batteries. – Kenny Evitt Nov 15 '17 at 14:42
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Yes discharging bare tabbed cells to less than 1v at around 1 amp ie automotive bulb is safe but the cell may get hot. This procedure is best done outside and after checking with meter 12 hours later if negligible voltage found when open circuit 1 hour later then proceed with careful slash / salt water method. Cell will bubble for a bit but then is moderately safe and unlikely for water saturated layers to then combust. Leave 24 hours minimum to ensure maximum safety and avoid contact with contaminated salt water or battery components.

aseguein
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just put it in plastic bag and take it to a homedepot store and put it in there battery recycle bin. then it goes to appropriate place to deal with it rather than in trash or junk yard

john
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    Home Depot almost certainly will not accept a *damaged* battery. If you can cite evidence to the contrary, and edit your answer to that effect, I'll change my downvote to an upvote. – Kenny Evitt Jan 28 '18 at 18:49