Latest news with #lithiumionbatteries
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
House fires are on the rise in St. Johns County
St. Johns County Fire Rescue said they've seen a 6.5% increase in structure fires in the last year. Lithium-ion batteries are a big reason why firefighters are battling more house fires. 'We've seen a definite influx in golf cart fires and e-bike fires,' said Chris Naff, the spokesperson for St. Johns County Fire Rescue. 'If they get overcharged, they actually start expanding and heating up, and then that melts the outer shell, and that's when they basically for, lack of a better term, explode.' The county's growing population is also something being attributed to the increase. Read: St. Johns County releases stricter version of proposed e-bike safety law [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Naff said there have been 82 structure fires since the start of this year. And the majority of those have been garage fires. 'In the last month or two, probably 80% of our fires have been started in the garage,' said Naff. The next time you plug in your electric vehicles, firefighters said, first and foremost, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for charging. 'Typically, they are going to say plug them in and charge them to 100% or about 100%,' said Naff. 'And unplug them from both the wall outlet where you have them and the apparatus that they are plugged into.' If you can, Naff suggests charging them outside. 'That way, if it does catch fire, or it does spark, it's away from your house and in your driveway,' said Naff. And if your home does not already have a smoke detector in the garage, firefighters suggest installing one. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin Elements Achieves Another First in US Battery Recycling
AUSTIN, Texas, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin Elements Inc. (AEI) ( a leader in high purity critical mineral refining, is proud to announce its attainment of ISO 17025 accreditation, marking a historic milestone as the first U.S. company to achieve this rigorous certification specifically for analytical testing of battery-grade materials, including black mass, lithium carbonate, iron phosphate, and metal sulfates. This achievement underscores AEI's position as a technical pioneer in producing high-purity critical minerals vital for the global energy transition. The ISO 17025 certification provides customers and partners with unmatched confidence in the quality of Austin Elements' products from recycled materials. Achieving the certification is a validation of AEI's proprietary first-principles based analytical processes which deliver the exceptional precision, consistency, and reliability required in the lithium-ion battery industry. As a U.S.-based leading recycler, AEI is transforming the battery recycling industry by closing the loop on critical minerals, reducing dependence on foreign supply chains, and advancing sustainability. This certification is a testament to AEI's dedication to solving the technical hurdles in lithium-ion battery recycling, ensuring the production of high-quality materials that power the clean energy ecosystem. With its forthcoming commercial production facility in Texas, equipped with proprietary recycling technologies, AEI is scaling production of high-purity lithium carbonate, iron phosphate, and other critical minerals to strengthen domestic supply chains and support national electrification objectives. "Achieving ISO 17025 accreditation is a landmark moment for AEI and critical mineral production in the U.S.," said Bhavin Rena, VP Q&A of Austin Elements. "With this certification we're not just meeting today's demands—we're redefining standards for tomorrow." Join AEI in advancing a sustainable, secure, and electrified future. For more information, visit or contact info@ About Austin Elements Inc.: Austin Elements Inc. (AEI) is a pioneering U.S. company specializing in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries to produce high-purity critical minerals for the clean energy industry. With advanced proprietary technologies and a commitment to sustainability, AEI is building a resilient domestic supply chain for battery-grade materials, driving the transition to a circular economy. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Austin Elements Inc
Fast Company
25-05-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
Researchers take a step toward carbon-capturing batteries
What if there were a battery that could release energy while trapping carbon dioxide? This isn't science fiction; it's the promise of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries, which are currently a hot research topic. Li-CO₂ batteries could be a two-in-one solution to the current problems of storing renewable energy and taking carbon emissions out of the air. They absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into a white powder called lithium carbonate while discharging energy. These batteries could have profound implications for cutting emissions from vehicles and industry—and might even enable long-duration missions on Mars, where the atmosphere is 95% CO₂. To make these batteries commercially viable, researchers have mainly been wrestling with problems related to recharging them. Now, our team at the University of Surrey has come up with a promising way forward. So how close are these 'CO₂-breathing' batteries to becoming a practical reality? Like many great scientific breakthroughs, Li-CO₂ batteries were a happy accident. Slightly over a decade ago, a U.S.-French team of researchers were trying to address problems with lithium air batteries, another frontier energy-storage technology. Whereas today's lithium-ion batteries generate power by moving and storing lithium ions within electrodes, lithium air batteries work by creating a chemical reaction between lithium and oxygen. The problem has been the 'air' part, since even the tiny (0.04%) volume of CO₂ that's found in air is enough to disrupt this careful chemistry, producing unwanted lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). As many battery scientists will tell you, the presence of Li₂CO₃ can also be a real pain in regular lithium-ion batteries, causing unhelpful side reactions and electrical resistance. Nonetheless the scientists noticed something interesting about this CO₂ contamination: It improved the battery's amount of charge. From this point on, work began on intentionally adding CO₂ gas to batteries to take advantage of this, and the lithium-CO₂ battery was born. How it works Their great potential relates to the chemical reaction at the positive side of the battery, where small holes are cut in the casing to allow CO₂ gas in. There it dissolves in the liquid electrolyte (which allows the charge to move between the two electrodes) and reacts with lithium that has already been dissolved there. During this reaction, it's believed that four electrons are exchanged between lithium ions and carbon dioxide. This electron transfer determines the theoretical charge that can be stored in the battery. In a normal lithium-ion battery, the positive electrode exchanges just one electron per reaction. (In lithium air batteries, it's two to four electrons.) The greater exchange of electrons in the lithium-carbon dioxide battery, combined with the high voltage of the reaction, explains their potential to greatly outperform today's lithium-ion batteries. However, the technology has a few issues. The batteries don't last very long. Commercial lithium-ion packs routinely survive 1,000 to 10,000 charging cycles; most LiCO₂ prototypes fade after fewer than 100. They're also difficult to recharge. This requires breaking down the lithium carbonate to release lithium and CO₂, which can be energy intensive. This energy requirement is a little like a hill that must be cycled up before the reaction can coast, and is known as overpotential. You can reduce this requirement by printing the right catalyst material on the porous positive electrode. Yet these catalysts are typically expensive and rare noble metals, such as ruthenium and platinum, making for a significant barrier to commercial viability. Our team has found an alternative catalyst, caesium phosphomolybdate, which is far cheaper and easy to manufacture at room temperature. This material made the batteries stable for 107 cycles, while also storing 2.5 times as much charge as a lithium ion. And we significantly reduced the energy cost involved in breaking down lithium carbonate, for an overpotential of 0.67 volts, which is only about double what would be necessary in a commercial product. Our research team is now working to further reduce the cost of this technology by developing a catalyst that replaces caesium, since it's the phosphomolybdate that is key. This could make the system more economically viable and scalable for widespread deployment. We also plan to study how the battery charges and discharges in real time. This will provide a clearer understanding of the internal mechanisms at work, helping to optimize performance and durability. A major focus of upcoming tests will be to evaluate how the battery performs under different CO₂ pressures. So far, the system has only been tested under idealized conditions (1 bar). If it can work at 0.1 bar of pressure, it will be feasible for car exhausts and gas boiler flues, meaning you could capture CO₂ while you drive or heat your home. Demonstrating that this works will be an important confirmation of commercial viability, albeit we would expect the battery's charge capacity to reduce at this pressure. By our rough calculations, 1kg of catalyst could absorb around 18.5kg of CO₂. Since a car driving 100 miles emits around 18kg to 20kg of CO₂, that means such a battery could potentially offset a day's drive. If the batteries work at 0.006 bar, the pressure on the Martian atmosphere, they could power anything from an exploration rover to a colony. At 0.0004 bar, Earth's ambient air pressure, they could capture CO₂ from our atmosphere and store power anywhere. In all cases, the key question will be how it affects the battery's charge capacity. Meanwhile, to improve the battery's number of recharge cycles, we need to address the fact that the electrolyte dries out. We're currently investigating solutions, which probably involve developing casings that only CO₂ can move into. As for reducing the energy required for the catalyst to work, it's likely to require optimizing the battery's geometry to maximize the reaction rate—and to introduce a flow of CO₂, comparable to how fuel cells work (typically by feeding in hydrogen and oxygen).
Android Authority
22-05-2025
- Android Authority
Flying this summer? Make sure you're aware of this new rule about portable chargers
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Southwest Airlines passengers will need to keep portable chargers visible at all times on flights when they're in use. The new policy goes into effect on May 28. This is the first US airline to update its rules, but several Asian airlines have already done so after growing concerns about lithium-ion battery fires on planes. As Memorial Day fast approaches, that means everyone's getting ready for their summer vacations. But if you're flying with Southwest soon, then you need to be aware of a big policy change on its flights in regards to a daily necessity: portable chargers. Beginning May 28, Southwest Airlines will require passengers using any kind of portable chargers with batteries in them, including power banks and phone battery cases, to keep them in plain sight while in use. This means that one cannot keep an active portable charger in overhead bins or even bags under the seat — they must be visible at all times during the flight when using them. Though Southwest is the first US airline to update its rules about portable chargers, it's possible that other airlines may follow. It's important to note that this new rule only applies when the battery is connected and actively charging another device. Southwest told Gizmodo that the battery can stay in your carry-on bag if it's not in use charging another device. Several Asian airlines already have similar policies in place regarding portable batteries and chargers. The reasoning for the new rules is growing concern over lithium-ion battery fires on planes. Joe Maring / Android Authority According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been 22 verified incidents this year involving a lithium-ion batteries, and 2024 had a record high of 89, with the trend continuing to grow. Since 2006, there have been a total of 620 incidents, and the top culprit involves lithium-ion batteries or battery packs, followed by vaping devices and then cellular phones. In January, an Air Busan plane had a fire that burned through the roof of the plane as it was preparing to take off, which required all 176 people onboard to be evacuated. Though that particular fire hasn't had the origin verified, several Asian airlines and Korean regulators updated rules about portable chargers after. Some Asian airlines are much more strict with the rule, like Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, which have both prohibited using or charging power banks at all while on a flight. In 2024, smoke from a laptop was seen coming from a passenger's bag on a flight from San Francisco. Another flight in 2023 from Dallas to Orlando, Florida had to make an emergency stop in Jacksonville due to a battery in an overhead compartment catching fire. Currently, the TSA bans both rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries for phones and laptops in checked bags, but have allowed passengers to keep them in their carry-on luggage. But with the new rule from Southwest, those will now need to be out of bags and visible when using them on the flight. If you're on a flight and see something on fire, it would be wise to inform the flight crew. They are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires (or other issues) in the cabin, after all. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Gizmodo
21-05-2025
- Gizmodo
Southwest Airlines Will Require Passengers to Keep Portable Chargers Out During Flights
Southwest Airlines announced it will require all portable device chargers to be kept in plain sight during all flights while they're in use. The new policy comes after a number of lithium-ion batteries fires on flights worldwide in recent years. The new policy will start May 28 and will require all Southwest passengers to make sure they don't have any portable chargers, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, in overhead bins or even just inside a bag in under the seat in front of them, while they're in use. 'Using portable charging devices while stored in a bag or overhead bin will no longer be permitted,' the airline told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. 'Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.' The airline told Gizmodo that it's okay to keep your portable charger in your carry-on bag if it's not connected to anything else. But any charger in active use, including one that may be connected to the phone in the form of a case, should be kept visible for the entire flight. The TSA already bans rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries for phones and laptops from checked baggage. Carry-on baggage is fine, but Southwest Airlines will soon require those chargers to be outside of all bags and visible while in use during the duration of the flight. It's unclear if other U.S.-based airlines will follow Southwest's lead, but other airlines around the world have also been cracking down on lithium-ion batteries in an effort to fight fire hazards. As the Associated Press notes, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways both already prohibit the use of portable chargers on all flights. And Korean Airlines also bans portable chargers from overhead bins. The average U.S. passenger brings four different rechargeable devices with them on a flight, according to the UL Standards & Engagement research group, with the most common devices being smartphones (82%), laptops (41%), wireless headphones (39%), and tablets (36%). The most common incidents were caused by vaping devices, which accounted for 35% of all incidents on flights in 2023, while power banks accounted for 16% of all incidents reported. 'Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin,' the FAA explains on its website. 'Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.' Indeed. If you see something on fire on your flight, battery or otherwise, please let the flight crew know. That's just generally a good idea.
