By Laura J. Nelson
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The fires that swept through Los Angeles County in January left behind more than 1 million pounds of damaged Lithium-ion batteries, ranging from slim capsules inside iPhones to the brick-like blocks that run electric vehicles.
Cheap and reliable, Lithium-ion batteries have helped the world’s transition to green energy but come with one major risk: When damaged, the batteries can get very hot very quickly, burst open in a puff of toxic, flammable gas and erupt into flames that are difficult to extinguish.
That level of risk lent new urgency to the cleanup of L.A.’s fire debris. After being exposed to temperatures of more than 2,000 degrees, the thousands of Lithium-ion batteries left behind in the ruins of more than 13,500 houses and garages could have exploded or caught fire at any time.
Lithium-ion batteries with heat damage are “very…
