All posts tagged: Lithiumion

PFAS-free training solutions for lithium-ion battery fires

PFAS-free training solutions for lithium-ion battery fires

Published by skeptic

Anogas has developed a PFAS-free Hydrogel technology for firefighting training, addressing the environmental and health risks associated with traditional fluorinated foams and providing realistic simulations of lithium-ion battery fires. For many decades, firefighting training grounds around the world have become heavily contaminated with PFAS due to the widespread use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams, particularly aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). During training exercises, large quantities of foam were repeatedly discharged directly onto open ground, often without proper collection or containment systems. As a result, PFAS compounds penetrated the soil and groundwater, creating long-term environmental pollution. Because PFAS substances hardly degrade naturally, they are commonly referred to as ‘forever chemicals.’ The contamination of firefighting training sites has become a major environmental and public health concern. PFAS can migrate through groundwater systems and contaminate drinking water sources, agricultural land, and surrounding ecosystems. Scientific research has linked exposure to certain PFAS compounds to serious health risks, including immune system disruption, hormonal imbalance, liver damage, and certain forms of cancer. These concerns have led governments and regulatory authorities worldwide to increasingly …

Lithium-ion battery fires are surging. Firefighting tech is struggling to keep up

Lithium-ion battery fires are surging. Firefighting tech is struggling to keep up

Published by skeptic

From electric vehicles and e-bikes to grid-scale energy storage systems, lithium-ion batteries are becoming central to modern life. But as governments and industries accelerate the shift toward electrification, fire services and safety regulators are confronting a growing problem: lithium-ion battery fires are increasing in frequency, are notoriously difficult to extinguish and are exposing the limitations of existing firefighting technologies. In cities including London, New York City, and Seoul, officials have reported rising numbers of fires linked to lithium-ion batteries, particularly from e-bikes and electric scooters. Large-scale battery storage fires have also triggered evacuations and environmental concerns in several countries over the past decade, raising questions about whether safety infrastructure is keeping pace with the rapid adoption of battery-powered technologies. Unlike conventional fires, lithium-ion battery fires can burn at extremely high temperatures, reignite hours after appearing extinguished and release toxic gases during combustion. Firefighters often require vast quantities of water to cool battery cells and stop thermal runaway, the chain reaction that occurs when overheating spreads from one cell to another. At the same time, growing …

Hard truth: Here’s the reason most lithium-ion batteries fail

Hard truth: Here’s the reason most lithium-ion batteries fail

Published by Jenni Sidey

Lithium was supposed to be soft. The metal bends easily in bulk form, stretches before it breaks, and deforms the way you might expect a pliable material to behave. Scientists who studied the tiny thorn-like structures that grow inside lithium-ion batteries assumed those structures would behave the same way. They were wrong. A new study published in the journal Science has found that lithium dendrites, the microscopic filaments that sprout from battery anodes during charging, are not soft and pliable at all. They are hard, rigid, and brittle. Under stress, they snap. “Lithium dendrites have long been assumed to be soft and ductile, like Play-Doh,” said Xing Liu, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology and co-lead author of the study. “But our observations suggest that they may instead be strong and brittle, snapping more like dry spaghetti.” That distinction is not a curiosity. It changes how researchers think about why batteries fail, and what might be done to stop it. Brittle, microscopic structures called dendrites form in …

I tested a solid-state portable battery for a week – now lithium-ion feels old school

I tested a solid-state portable battery for a week – now lithium-ion feels old school

Published by skeptic

BMX SolidSafe 5K power bank ZDNET’s key takeaways This is a 5,000mAh wireless power bank powered by a solid-state cells Solid-state cells are far less likely to catch on fire than lithium-ion batteries At $80, this is a very expensive unit, so it is focused on those who value safety. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. I’ve tested countless power banks over the years, and they have all made use of lithium-ion batteries. These have the advantage of being cheap and have high energy density, but they can, if provoked too much, burst into flames. Needless to say, that’s not a good thing. This is where solid-state cells come into play. These ditch the flammable electrolyte solution found in lithium-ion batteries for a non-flammable solid.   Also: Are ‘advanced electromagnetic’ de-icing devices for your car legit? I took one apart to find out This is what BMX has done with the SolidSafe 5K power bank.  This 5,000mAh/19Wh wireless charging power bank is perfectly designed to fit the iPhone. It measures 4.0 x 2.7 x …

Lithium-ion batteries could last longer with chemical tweak

Lithium-ion batteries could last longer with chemical tweak

Published by skeptic

Lithium-ion batteries could eventually last longer Shutterstock/Bokeh Art Photo It may be possible to extend the life of lithium-ion batteries using standard, low-cost chemistry. Lithium-ion batteries consist of a negative anode and a positive cathode with a porous separator between the two. This is immersed in an electrolyte that enables lithium ions to shuttle between the electrodes during charge and discharge. At the negative electrode, the electrolyte breaks down to form a thin protective coating that keeps the battery stable and prolongs its lifespan. Chunsheng Wang at the University of Maryland says that creating a similar protective layer on the cathode has always been considered much more difficult because the electrical conditions there are different, creating a more reactive environment and causing conventional electrolytes to break down before a stable coating can form. Wang and his colleagues overcame this hurdle using a simple reaction borrowed from organic chemistry, which makes the electrolyte more “willing” to accept electrons and steers its breakdown into a controlled process that builds a stable protective coating at the cathode. “By …