Thorold officials seek reassurances on lithium-ion battery plant safety – Canada
The president of EVSX gave a presentation to city council about the company’s plan to process lithium-ion batteries at their facility in Thorold South
Battery-processing plant EVSX in Thorold South is hoping to start processing lithium-ion batteries, but Thorold City Council wants to make sure that the facility is safe.
Last year, EVSX opened a battery recycling facility in the Multimodal Hub in Thorold South. While they are currently only processing alkaline batteries, they recently installed a multi-chemistry line to process other types of batteries as well.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Ian Peres, who is the president and CEO of EVSX, gave a presentation in which the facility’s safety protocols took centre stage.
Peres told council members,
Our goal at EVSX is to put the community’s mind at ease,
“It’s our top priority and we’re here to make sure that we can answer any questions that not only councillors may have, but also the community.”
Peres explained that EVSX specializes in the mechanical separation of batteries, and there are no solvents involved. The goal of the company is to recycle the batteries without any parts going to a landfill.
After making sure the batteries are completely discharged, they are put through a shredder.
Peres, said:
The primary shredder is where the batteries are initially shred,
“The emissions first go through a secondary furnace with two burners to treat the air. It goes through another one that we call the spray tower where you have porcelain and water, basically scrubbing the air. It then goes into a second spray tower, same protocol. Then it goes through a catalytic unit…By the time it gets to the final fan that pulls the air up as emissions, we are confident that they’ve been scrubbed.”
While the fire risks with alkaline batteries are minimal, councillors are mostly worried about the plans for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries.
To minimize safety risks, the lithium-ion batteries would be sealed in industrial drums which are only opened when they are ready to be processed. The facility will also use wheeled carts with lithium extinguishers should something go wrong.
Peres, said:
We’ve actually partnered with a group that has come up with a powder that when mixed with solution can extinguish lithium fires,
“We have the technology and the extinguishers.”
To minimize risk, different battery chemistries would never be mixed and the facility is thoroughly cleaned before switching between battery types. Peres also explained that there is a fully monitored alarm and security camera system in place, along with heat and smoke detectors.
Fire Chief Terry Dixon was asked if he had ever heard of this lithium-extinguishing technology but he had not, although he promised to look into it.
He said,
Lithium-ion is still quite new to all of us,
“Hearing about these extinguishers is hopefully good news.”
Dixon also explained that there is no preparedness plan currently in place should something go wrong.
Back in 2007, there was a big explosion involving lithium batteries at Clean Harbors Canada in Port Robinson, and councillors don’t want a repeat of that tragedy.
Dixon, said:
I really do not have a lot of concerns for what they’re processing at this point in time,
Once the facility starts processing lithium-ion batteries, EVSX wants to invite the community to answer any lingering questions.
Peres, said:
We’re obviously still waiting for the permit before we can move on to the other chemistries,
“The plan is to actually have an unveiling of the plant. We would invite the community to come in and have a look and respond to any questions they may have.”
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Thorold officials seek reassurances on lithium-ion battery plant safety – Canada, source
