This week the U.S. Department of Transportation presented new regulations for air-cargo shipments of varying types of lithium batteries, which includes packaging requirements and safeguarding of power cells that have either been damaged or heading for recycling. One forgets that with 1.3 billion rechargeable batteries being produced each year, that means there are an awful lot of batteries that no longer hold a decent charge, and therefore require recycling.
These new rules, however, stop short of imposing limits that had been advocated by pilot-union leaders relating to the number of batteries or cellphones that can be carried on a U.S. cargo aircraft. U.S. regulators do not permit lithium-metal batteries to be shipped in the cargo holds of passenger jets, though many other countries are less cautious and permit such shipments.
As one section of the new rules – earmarked to come into effect early next year – regulators welcomed these industry positions and dropped previous proposals asking for more-stringent package-labeling, important verification of manufacturing-quality controls, and additionally the classification of lithium batteries as hazardous goods.
These new safety recommendations were approved last month by an advisory panel to the International Civil Aviation Organization, in the latest indication of growing industry concerns about such dangers to aircraft. ICAO, as the body is usually referred to, is an arm of the United Nations. It should also be noted that all these new recommendations relate to bulk shipment of lithium-based batteries and do not include those rechargeable batteries in the plethora electrical devices and gadgets that passenger bring on board when travelling.
It has, however, been identified that while rechargeable lithium-based can catch fire if crushed, pierced or if they short circuit, non-rechargeable lithium-based batteries have a far greater risk of catching fire. As a result, in June, the ICAO banned all passenger planes from carrying lithium-metal batteries which are not rechargeable. This will come in to effect in January 2015.
However lithium-based batteries can reach a temperature of up to 1000o C and dowsing a fire caused by one is not simple – halon alone won’t work, so water is also required. This will mean changing most fire safety equipment on board commercial carriers. The idea of packaging batteries with gels between them would dramatically effect transportation costs, so once again the battle between safety and economics kicks off another round in a common fight.