Toxicity Assessment of Gas, Solid and Liquid Emissions from Li-Ion Cells of Different Chemistry Subjected to Thermal Abuse

Sofia Ubaldi and Paola Russo ()
Additional contact information
Sofia Ubaldi: Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Paola Russo: Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-17

Abstract: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are employed in a range of devices due to their high energy and power density. However, the increased power density of LIBs raises concerns regarding their safety when subjected to external abuse. The thermal behavior is influenced by a number of factors, i.e., the state of charge (SoC), the cell chemistry and the abuse conditions. In this study, three distinct cylindrical Li-ion cells, i.e., lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium titanate oxide (LTO), and lithium iron phosphate (LFP), were subjected to thermal abuse (heating rate of 5 °C/min) in an air flow reactor, with 100% SoC. Venting and thermal runaway (TR) were recorded in terms of temperature and pressure, while the emitted products (gas, solid, and liquid) were subjected to analysis by FT-IR and ICP-OES. The concentrations of the toxic gases (HF, CO) are significantly in excess of the Immediate Danger to Life or Health Limit (IDLH). Furthermore, it is observed that the solid particles are the result of electrode degradation (metallic nature), whereas the liquid aerosol is derived from the electrolyte solvent. It is therefore evident that in the event of a LIB fire, in order to enhance the safety of the emergency responders, it is necessary to use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to minimize exposure to toxic substances, i.e., particles and aerosol.

Keywords: lithium-ion; battery; thermal abuse; thermal runaway; gas analysis; FT-IR; ICP-OES; solid particles; aerosol; toxicity; IDHL; PPE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/17/4402/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/17/4402/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:17:p:4402-:d:1470172

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().