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You don’t want to breathe in cement dust.
But you don't want to breathe flouric acid more than you don't want to breathe cement dust, I'd wager.
This was in 2021; it appears the fire was extinguished by July 11 [1], investigated by Vice later that year [2], and seems to still be being cleaned up by US EPA [3]. 1. https://www.ehs.com/2021/07/morris-lithium-battery-fire-high... 2. https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vj73/everyone-thought-the-... 3. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-resumes-cleanup-hazardo...
Was the owner of the building ever held liable for all of this damage?
Lithium battery fire cannot be 'put out'- in a normal sense. A fuel tank of petrol needs oxygen to burn, and when you spray foam on it your cut off the oxygen and the fire stops. A battery already contains energy, all the chemicals required for the reaction are already present, and once the energy release starts, sealing it from the environment does not stop the process. Ebike and drone batteries are large enough to…
A suitable fireproof containment bag + fire-resistant gloves is about $1200 AUD (Brimstone Preventer [1], but I'm sure alternatives are available. This one is small phone/tablet sized and rated for 10k mAh). But most people won't purchase a >A fire extinguisher large enough for a 500wh battery weighs 12 kilos - most people can barely lift that!
SafeWork Australia (our national OSHA body) recommend loads be kept below about ~16 to 20kg for a single person without mechanical assistance[2] (or up to 55kg with), and most packaging for heavy boxes recommends two person lift starting around 25 to 36kg. 12kg should be trivial for most adults.
[1] https://www.powdersafe.com.au/fire-containment-bag-small-tab...
[2] https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/...
Lithium battery fire cannot be 'put out'- in a normal sense. A fuel tank of petrol needs oxygen to burn, and when you spray foam on it your cut off the oxygen and the fire stops. A battery already contains energy, all the chemicals required for the reaction are already present, and once the energy release starts, sealing it from the environment does not stop the process. Ebike and drone batteries are large enough to…
> 12 kilos - most people can barely lift that! Not that I'm disagreeing with your overall point, but this I find particularly surprising? My electric scooter weighs 14 kilograms and I carry it everywhere. That said, adding an extra 12 kilos to my backpack would be annoying, for sure.
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I've wondered if maybe it's possible to pack batteries with a relatively harmless material that undergoes a very energy-intensive phase change. Water's the obvious choice, but it tends to drain away rather than stick around long enough to turn to steam. Maybe there's a better material, or ways to design battery cooling systems so that a burning battery turns into a very efficient steam generator, and thus can be cool…
>Water's the obvious choice, but it tends to drain away rather than stick around long enough to turn to steam. just add something gel-forming into the water or some fiber/dust (even just gluten flour) that absorbs a lot of water and turns into kind of watery dough.
Lithium battery fire cannot be 'put out'- in a normal sense. A fuel tank of petrol needs oxygen to burn, and when you spray foam on it your cut off the oxygen and the fire stops. A battery already contains energy, all the chemicals required for the reaction are already present, and once the energy release starts, sealing it from the environment does not stop the process. Ebike and drone batteries are large enough to…
I think the standard procedure in EV car fires is to just dump water on it to conduct the heat away as fast as possible, and to keep dumping water on it until the batteries can no longer self-ignite -- which can take awhile.
Interesting note, the fire was propagating from the back to the floor - where I imagine most of the batteries lies - to the front engine bay but never burned in the cockpit area. I guess those battery equipped cars have some additionnal isolation to protect the passengers.
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I take mine to the local dump. They have an electronics recycling drop off, which is free.
My city has a recycling center for household products, but it requires the use of a motor vehicle. I have been unsuccessful in using taxi or ride-sharing services to drop off items. Unfortunately, the inflexible vehicle requirement is a deal breaker for me and many of my neighbors.
as in "it's miles away from the next bus stop, so walking is impractical", or as in "if you don't show up in a motor vehicle, we don't let you in"?
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LiPF6 = lithium hexafluorophosphate HF = hydrogen flouride
> HF = hydrogen flouride otherwise known as hydroflouric acid. nasty stuff indeed: > In addition to being a highly corrosive liquid, hydrofluoric acid is also a powerful contact poison. Because of the ability of hydrofluoric acid to penetrate tissue, poisoning can occur readily through exposure of skin or eyes, or when inhaled or swallowed. Symptoms of exposure to hydrofluoric acid may not be immediately evident, and…
> otherwise known as hydroflouric acid. nasty stuff indeed:
Technically hydrofluoric acid is hydrogen fluoride dissolved in water.
But yes, nasty stuff, and that fine distinction doesn't matter when HF gas spreads through the air, meets biology and immediately turns into the acid on contact.
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> A fire extinguisher large enough for a 500wh battery weighs 12 kilos - most people can barely lift that! Almost everyone can lift that overhead . 90% of men and more than 50% of women can lift a bit more than twice that overhead. It's a common job requirement. There would have to be something really wrong for an adult to struggle lifting 12kg. That's a large watermelon, and unlike the melon, the fire extinguisher g…
Where on earth do you get 12 kg watermelons? Genuine curious, the ones imported here in Denmark I would guess are big if they're around 3 kg.
Before making a guess, try to weight them. I have hard time imagining watermelon (watermelon is the green thing unlike yellow melon) with only 3kg :) Your full water kettle already weights 2+kg.
Might be different for various lithium batteries but here is what Tesla's Emergency Response Guide recommends: USE WATER TO FIGHT A HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY FIRE. If the battery catches fire, is exposed to high heat, or is generating heat or gases, use large amounts of water to cool the battery. It can take between approximately 3,000-8,000 gallons (11,356-30,283 liters) of water, applied directly to the battery, to full…
I wonder why? It's what the fire brigade here has settled on and it seems to be thoroughly effective at avoiding re-ignition.