TU Eindhoven students present shredder that prevents battery fires

Battery fires are a serious problem. For example, they are the cause 49 of the 53 fires that occurred at European waste management facilities in recent years. This is because batteries can become unstable, potentially resulting in spontaneous combustion. A Li-ion battery (a rechargeable battery often used in consumer electronics and electric cars) also contains oxygen, making a fire almost impossible to extinguish. This phenomenon is also known as thermal runaway.

Battery fires do not only play a major role in the recycling industry. In the metal industry, it is the number one cause of fires. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the reason is the low percentage of batteries collected. Only 24 percent of li-ion batteries in the Netherlands are collected. The rest end up between the plastic and residual waste and old paper.

THE SECRET 

That is why team CORE is now presenting the CORE Titan shredding plant. The installation consists of a shredder block that can be completely submerged in water. The water contains a special salt solution to neutralise the charge that is released. Because the installation is submerged, the temperature remains low. In this way, the team prevents thermal runaway.

For the practical implementation Team CORE is working together with industrial parties, including MIREC BV, and with leading electronic waste treatment facilities in the Netherlands. The next step is to further develop the shredder and build a prototype recycling line that fully recycles batteries and battery-suspect products.

A CIRCULAR FUTURE

Team CORE has been working on the safe processing of e-waste for some time. Currently, the team is developing a facility in Moerdijk based on the technology that CORE unveiled in November 2020. Carlo van de Weijer, advisor to the student teams at TU/e, is happy with the way the team is manifesting itself. "Everything that is not 100 percent sustainable will cease to exist at some point. Because electrification is a fundamental part of that transition to a sustainable world, recycling all electronics is an essential part of the journey to sustainability. CORE has been sticking its neck out for years to make a move in that area too."