Lithium recycling

Q: How toxic is lithium?

Lithium batteries or accumulators are dangerous if a chemical reaction occurs as a result of short circuit, overcharging, damage or external heating, for example. Fire and explosion hazards can occur, as well as toxic fumes. Lithium battery fires release fumes containing hydrogen fluoride. When you go to put out fires, lithium hydroxide is released. And of course, as with any fire, carbon monoxide. Bystanders can suffer significant health problems from a lithium battery fire. That’s why it’s so important to take lithium recycling seriously. Damaged lithium batteries disperse Ethylene Carbonate (EC), Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC), Diethyl Carbonate (DEC) and Ethyl Methyl Carbonate (EMC) when kept hot. This is toxic mess.

Q: Can lithium be recycled?

Yes, lithium recycling is possible, although the processes for this are still under development. After separating all the materials from the lithium battery or accumulator, treatment generally takes place to isolate all the individual components. After this, the various components receive a chemical treatment, such as acid or alkaline extraction. This is how you isolate and purify the lithium ions. You can then reuse these.

Q: Is lithium environmentally friendly?

Mining lithium releases a variety of harmful substances, such as tar and mercury. The hydrochloric and sulfuric acids used in the processing can end up in the soil, water and air. Also, extracting lithium from underground waters, as in Chile, can disrupt the ecosystem. Lithium recycling will therefore become increasingly important in the future.

Q: Strategic Reliance on Lithium

Due to developments in Eastern Europe and China’s increasing aggression, we have become increasingly aware that the energy transition and the shift toward a greener vehicle fleet have become heavily dependent on lithium for batteries from countries with which we would prefer not to do business. However, there is now news that Lithium reserves have been discovered in Northern Europe But it will be years before we really start mining it. The European Commission has already indicated that one of the ways we can reduce our dependence on lithium for battery production is through lithium recycling. And this certainly isn’t just about the metal lithium, but also about other metals such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, and the rare earth elements.

As cell phones have become increasingly popular, the use of lithium batteries has also grown. They are more common in everyday life than you might think and can certainly pose risks in certain situations. That is why it is so important that lithium recycling is done safely.

IT-Recycling is the right place to go for the collection and recycling of lithium batteries and lithium-ion batteries. Good to know: lithium recycling is NOT free and costs starting at €2.95 per kilo plus a €145.00 setup fee.

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Lithium recycling - The process

For an appointment for lithium recycling, call 0413-249756 directly or easily make an appointment online. This service only applies to businesses, not individuals.

Step 1: Make an appointment

Click “Make an appointment” and choose “Lithium Battery.”

Step 2: Number of kilograms

Indicate whether it is more or less than 200 kg.

Step 3: Schedule a Date

Make an appointment and you will receive a confirmation email with a pick-up date.
We will be in touch for exact details and price.

Step 4: Transportation

On the appointed day, our ADR drivers will pick everything up.

Step 5: Certificate

Within 5 working days you will receive an environmental certificate, transport document and the invoice. Costs are from €2.70 per kilo plus €120.00 start-up costs.

If the lithium batteries and accumulators are still in computers or cell phones

Because lithium batteries are very dangerous and can quickly catch fire if damaged, it is important to recycle them safely. We at IT Recycling have therefore modified our system, improved fire safety and made the storage of lithium batteries a special fire safe. This makes us compliant with the new standard PGS37. We also updated our environmental permit. If the batteries and accumulators are still in computers, laptops or other devices, it falls under ordinary computer recycling.

We remove the batteries or accumulators from the devices later in the recycling process. For users of laptops, computers or cell phones, the process remains the same as computer recycling. You can simply keep devices with lithium batteries or accumulators and have them picked up by IT Recycling free of charge.
Just like any other computer hardware.

When it comes to loose lithium batteries only, we specifically talk about lithium recycling. Having these batteries collected costs money. The cheapest option is standard batteries such as those from laptops, bikes and cameras. We collect these at the minimum rate, for which you can see the current price list.

For professional lithium batteries, such as those from a car, forklift or a solar battery next to your home, we will provide a quote.

We also collect damaged batteries, batteries that have been on fire or in water, but this is more expensive because of the high risk. We have these unstable batteries transported by an outside specialist.

All other transportation with lithium batteries for recycling we do ourselves. IT Recycling has ADR (what is ADR?) and our drivers all have ADR certification and fire safety training.

In short, if you have old lithium batteries and want them picked up for recycling, IT Recycling can help.

Make an appointment online now.

If the batteries and accumulators are loose

By this we mean that it is only the batteries or accumulators, so they are no longer in a device. Unfortunately, you can’t have the loose batteries picked up for free. This is because lithium recycling is currently much more expensive than the metals coming out of the various devices.

Lithium batteries and accumulators still in the device

Because lithium batteries are extremely dangerous and can catch fire with the slightest damage, a safe way of recycling lithium is necessary. We have also updated our environmental permit.

Recycling lithium

Environmental Permit

Recycling lithium batteries

Lithium batteries pose a significant fire hazard. That is why we recommend always storing lithium batteries outdoors, and not indoors. If you’re storing lithium batteries for eventual recycling, it’s important to place them in special blue bins filled with a special flame-retardant substance called vermiculite. This is a legal requirement, and the bins must also have special stickers on them. This all sounds complicated, but luckily we’re here to help. You can borrow both the blue bins and the vermiculite for free from IT Recycling. This way, you can set up your own safe “lithium battery storage” area—complete with the proper stickers right away.

Tips from our experts

Here are a few more tips from our experts that will greatly reduce the likelihood of problems:

Take old lithium batteries very seriously. Think about your own safety and the safety of your coworkers;
Always store used lithium batteries outdoors;
Purchase a special F500 fire extinguisher and notify your safety officer. Are you taking emergency response training? Tell your trainer that you have lithium batteries and an F500 extinguisher on site;
Before choosing a recycling company, check whether they are ADR-certified, whether they are authorized to accept batteries, and whether they hold a WEEELABEX certificate;
For storing lithium batteries: Store old lithium batteries and rechargeable lithium batteries OUTDOORS in a special plastic drum with a UN marking and fill the drum halfway with vermiculite (available at home improvement stores);
Small quantities of lithium batteries can be taken to the recycling center or the supermarket. That’s really better than keeping them at home! Larger quantities? Have an expert handle this; you can’t do it yourself.
Do you have a phone or device that suddenly starts smoking? Wear gloves and take the device outside as quickly as possible. Let it burn out there. Never try to extinguish it!
Fire and lithium batteries? Life-threatening! Then evacuate your company as soon as possible. Use only two people and the special F500 fire extinguisher. Lithium fire quickly produces toxic gases, so be really careful! You must not extinguish the fire with water, or you will get an explosion. Also important to know: fire extinguishers other than the F500 will not work.

Lithium recycling at IT Recycling

Lithium batteries have already caused quite a stir here and there. That’s why it’s all the more important to ensure that lithium recycling is done safely. Do you have large quantities of lithium batteries and lithium-ion batteries, are you unsure of what to do, or do you have any questions? Or are you having a problem with your lithium-ion batteries? Feel free to contact us with no obligation. We’d be happy to advise you and help you dispose of your old lithium batteries.