The exponentially increasing use of lithium-ion batteries is to be expected. They offer leading power capacity and recharge speeds, which has led to their usage in most handheld devices and electric vehicles, as well as frequent applications in power tools and military and aerospace technologies. They are also dangerous, being highly flammable and explosive. Lithium battery fires produce thermal runaway that can cause reignition hours, sometimes even days after cooling. They are also stubborn, resisting most conventional methods of fire suppression. There is more than enough reason to invest in specialised equipment to safeguard against them.
How Do You Extinguish Lithium-ion Battery Fires?
As persistent and powerful as they are, it is still entirely possible to tackle and fully extinguish a lithium battery fire. There are specialised ranges in the fire extinguisher market for this very purpose, the leader of which is arguably the LFX series from Checkfire. These use a fluorine-free foam solution that cools the batteries directly, eliminating the possibility of reignition.
Checkfire are closely followed by Firexo with their all-fires extinguishers. More literal in name than you might expect, they are rated for every type of fire, though they are unlikely to match the effectiveness of an extinguisher specialised for tackling lithium battery fires.
Whatever you have on hand, it’s very important to note that you should only attempt to fight a lithium-ion battery fire in its very early stages, so much so that the official advice is that if it is a carriable device that is on fire, then you should attempt to move it outside before trying to put the fire out. So you can imagine that the fire should be just barely starting, as you can hardly carry a flaming laptop out of a building.
How Can I Dispose of My Lithium-ion Batteries?
You have to dispose of them at dedicated recycling points, or, when applicable, through a service provided by the device manufacturer. We understand that this may be tedious to do on a frequent basis, especially when it comes to something that entails regular disposal, like vapes, which, depending on the location, may be getting binned many times in a single day.
Firechief’s aforementioned battery and vape bins were created for scenarios exactly like this. While the bin won’t necessarily prevent ignition, any batteries that combust inside will be reliably and safely contained, and the bin will release PyroFlow granules to suppress the flames. The batteries can be safely left in the bin until proper waste distribution is carried out. This makes the bin perfect for busy public areas but also recycling points themselves.
The products mentioned here, and hopefully many more in the future, can all be found in our range of Lithium Battery Safety Products at the lowest prices on the market.
