3. Industrial risks associated with battery recycling

Batteries are hazardous waste subject to increasingly specific regulations, as the high accident rate means that collection, transport and storage conditions must be constantly reviewed.

It's important to understand that a battery contains an intimate mixture of several fuels (electrolyte, carbon, aluminum) and an oxidizer (transition metal oxides), all of which are more reactive the less the battery is fully discharged. Following a rise in temperature, an exothermic reaction can therefore occur without any external oxygen supply, and spread by thermal effect to neighboring batteries.

The main hazards associated with batteries and their recycling are as follows