Lithium-ion batteries power our lives, but improper disposal creates fire hazards we must avoid through responsible recycling.
We are surrounded by lithium-ion batteries. The laptop at your desk, the tablet your kid uses, the brand-new e-bike your husband just bought and the smartphone in your hands … they all use lithium-ion batteries. And why not? Lithium-ion batteries are affordable, reusable and accessible. But that convenience comes at a cost.
Where Did Lithium-Ion Batteries Come From?
In the 1970s, the United States was facing an oil shortage. Stanley Whittingham, an English chemist who was working for Exxon at the time, wanted to create a new type of battery, one that could be recharged and could break the country away from dependence on fossil fuels. His first few experiments were failures with the batteries catching fire, so Exxon pulled the plug on his endeavors.
But…
