Disposing of LiPo

[Ypedal]

i regularly get emails from this guy.,,


Joe Clark
Buying Agent
Work: 608-764-1104
Cell: 608-219-2152
joe@mmrrecycling.com

Members of ISRI

Maxum Metal Recycling, Inc.
610 Wedvick Rd.
Deerfield, WI 53531
Phone: 608-764-1104
Fax: 608-764-5670
http://www.mmrrecycling.com/

 

[Jay64]

Thanks for the contact. 8)

 

[headwind]

Hi, if no-one here wants my old LiPo packs (link), can anyone suggest a place in Melbourne Australia that will take them for recycling?

Thanks,
Simon

 

[marty]

No idea about Australia? In the US I see boxes in many stores. Throw the batteries in the box. I would put them in thick plastic bags or wrap with tape first.
The non-profit organization that operates the Call2Recycle® program is officially changed from Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) to Call2Recycle, Inc.
http://www.call2recycle.org/

 

[motomech]

Haven't seen this topic here.
Guidance would be appreciated.

 

[dnmun]

remove shrink wrap by cutting in from the corners in the top and strip the shrink wrap down around the pack. remove the white plastic shield wrap around the entire pack by lifting the tape that holds the one end of the wrap and then pull it off. it the white wrap shield is adhered to the pouch underneath on the end and that pouch on the end is not puffed up then cut the white shield at the top and bottom of the end pouch and do not tear it off the end pouch. that will have all of the pouches free so you can remove the bad ones and save the good ones.

now that all of the pouches are exposed, unsolder the tabs of the ones that are puffed up. or you can use some small scissors to cut the tab of the puffed pouch.

for all the remaining pouches that are not puffed up you wanna save them for use later so do a discharge to determine how much capacity they have left so discharge through a wattmeter down to 3.5V and then record the Ah on the pouch with magic marker.

if you have loose pouches, stack them together so the tabs adjacent to each other are the same polarity. to insure they do not short each other.

wrap in cling film and store in the refrigerator. warm them when you wanna pull them out and reuse them as spares to repair another pack later on. if you have the Ah recorded on the pouch then you will know which one can be used with the later repair to match that pack.

 

[hydro-one]

nevermind putting them in the fridge, store them in the oven!!! (neither is the right answer)

but yeah,becareful with anything sharp around bare pouch cells. eg knives esp razors, easy to nick the pack. probably impossible to separate glued ones without damaging the cell (sovent and plastic knife?) LFP stated that even a grain of sand on a table could damage the cell if placed on it .

as far as disposing of them, discharge it to 0v and place in a garbage bin? i usually try to do some sort of destructive test... helps me sleep at night with lipo under my pillow when i know how hard they are to blow up

 

[cal3thousand]

If you aren't going to salvage them, drop the packs in a bucket of salt water and let them sit for a week. Then chuck them into the garbage.

 

[r3volved]

depending on how old they are, you could post them up on here for sale (if you're not willing to do the tear-down-save route...someone else might)

 

[Drunkskunk]

If you aren't going to salvage them, drop the packs in a bucket of salt water and let them sit for a week. Then chuck them into the garbage.

Or, drop them in a bucket of water, use a nail taped to a broom handle to puncture the cells while they are under water. Give them an afternoon to soak, then drop in the trash. Both of these are methods I've seen mentioned often on RC forums for Lipo disposal.


Personally, I send mine on to Valhalla with a large fire and strong drink.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Discharge the battery down to zero through any resistive load (perhaps a 120W light bulb? or several in series if needed?). When they are at zero, they are safe to play with.

 

[mark5]

Amberwolf wants to overcharge and set on fire lipos enclosed in an ammo can. Consider sending lipos to him for disposal.

 

[dnmun]

all american answers. the real american economy whether in big fat cars or even just little stuff.

money to burn and no reason to reuse anything. just throw it away and buy a new one.

even here in portland where recycling got started there are very few people who actually care to recycle or reuse stuff and the ones who do stand out like dorks in a world where money is free.

people even get upset if you go dumpster diving instead of sending it into the landfills.

 

[motomech]

Gee, I didn't expect to be on the receiving end of a lecture.
I simply have two bricks of 4 year old Zippy that doesn't have enough capacity to warrent taking up space on my bike, that I wanted to get rid of.
I will try and atone for my sins.

 

[cal3thousand]

Gee, I didn't expect to be on the receiving end of a lecture.
I simply have two bricks of 4 year old Zippy that doesn't have enough capacity to warrent taking up space on my bike, that I wanted to get rid of.
I will try and atone for my sins.

I think he's more disappointed with the replies he received from the rest of us. Can't please everyone.

 

[motomech]

Ok, I will dis-charge, then recycle.
thanks

 

[rscamp]

Discharge the battery down to zero through any resistive load (perhaps a 120W light bulb? or several in series if needed?). When they are at zero, they are safe to play with.

This. Then recycle...

 

[motomech]

Thank you..., but I notice that the most recent discussion is over two years old.
Perhaps a review of the current thinking on the subject is appropriate.

 

[Ch00paKabrA]

all american answers. the real american economy whether in big fat cars or even just little stuff.

money to burn and no reason to reuse anything. just throw it away and buy a new one.

even here in portland where recycling got started there are very few people who actually care to recycle or reuse stuff and the ones who do stand out like dorks in a world where money is free.

people even get upset if you go dumpster diving instead of sending it into the landfills.

Well that was a bit critical. Critical thinking is level 2 thinking and is just barely more than level 1 thinking which is not actually thinking at all but feeling. level 3 thinking would have offered a solution such as this one:

To properly dispose of lipo, it is recomended that you take them to a recycling center. 3 little known places to bring your used batteries for recycling are Radio Shack, Home Depot and the evil Walmart. Most will either have a bin to put your used batteries in or the store manager can help you. Call first though to get the specifics.

Cheers,
'Cal

 

[MrDude_1]

The easiest answer is to take them to any battery store, or stores that take in old cell phones.
They recycle all kinds of batteries, all the time.


or make it explode... on video. and share it online.

or throw it in the regular trash and watch hippies cry... on video. and share it online.

 

[amberwolf]

To prevent wasted time and make it easier for members to find the information, the five nearly identically-titled threads on this subject have all been merged.

If other useful threads about it are found, they'll be placed here too, to get the info in one easy place for future searchers.

 

[ltosolini]

want to revive this thread where latest post is two years old....hoping to hear there is a way to make good use of my fat old cells.

So, now that my second build is on the road with a mix of winston, sinopoly and Wina LiFePO4 cells, I have twelve Wina 50ah cells from my previous build which are badly swollen and with ridiculous leftover capacity.
I would like to know what is the best way to dispose of them in Italy.
Please note that yesterday I took one to the local recycle centre, where they take all sort of battery and they took it with no question; but I am not sure if they can really recycle it. I would like these old cells to end up somewhere where they can take out the lithium and make good use of it.

Second question: is there any risk to store them at home in the cellar, which is pretty cool all year round, after discharge them?
If it is not dangerous, I am willing to store them until there is a proper way to recycle them.

Maybe I will keep one anyway to make some firework for new Year eve

 

[jonescg]

They can be cut open and separated, with the copper, aluminium and special sauce all fully recyclable.
I have to put a video up, but if you search DIY LiPo recycling here on the 'Sphere you will find some steps I have listed. If you got a fair bit of the stuff it can really add up.

 

[The Battery Doctor]

in sweden lithium batteries should be placed in the lead acid battery bin. Sweden has a lithiumbattery recycle plant called Scanarc in Hofors where 10-15 million batteries are recycled yearly, they are extracting cobolt from lithium batteries and cobolt and nickel from NIMH batteries. Ive asked them about their process but got no response.

I pack all my discarded lipo cells in bubble warp and then in battery boxes from panasonic which when sealed gives them good protection.