Fire Breaks out at a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Tulsa
On April 1, 2021, American Waste Control Inc.’s material recovery facility (MRF) in Tulsa, Oklahoma experienced a dangerous fire, with the blaze occurring after the site had closed for the day. The cause of the fire determined that an overheated lithium-ion battery had gotten caught in a paper screen.
The fire had a major impact on the entire facility, but luckily, no workers or emergency personnel were injured. The roof and overall structure of the building sustained damage as well as electrical elements and machines, such as optical sorters and eddy currents.
Due to the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, these events have become more frequent. From smartphones to toys and even greeting cards, lithium-ion batteries are found in a vast array of today’s products.
ISRI and SWANA Host a Webinar
Recently, on March 21st a webinar was held jointly by ISRI, based in Washington, and SWANA from Silver Spring, Maryland. Entitled “Preventing Lithium Battery Fires in Recycling Industry”, its purpose was to provide guidance on managing lithium-ion batteries safely and sustainably, especially focusing on battery transport and recycling.
“Lithium-ion batteries are a modern innovation,” ISRI President Robin Wiener stated. “These products often end up in the residential recycling stream and waste stream where they are causing fires. This is why ISRI and SWANA have come together to address this.”
“These fires represent a significant challenge,” chief of legislative and regulatory affairs at the National Volunteer Fire Council and webinar panelist, Ryan Woodward explained. “These fires take a tremendous time to burn. Once they are extinguished, they can reignite up to two weeks after the fact.”
Noting the prevalence of lithium-ion batteries in everyday products, he asserted that unless proper disposal of these materials is taught, incidents of lithium-ion battery fires are likely to increase.
A Developing Issue
At the webinar, panelists discussed the potential dangers that lithium-ion batteries can bring to waste and recycling centers, emergency responders, and the communities in which they work.
Wiener believes that the number of lithium-ion batteries in waste and recycling streams is set to rise, as electric vehicles and other items utilizing these batteries becomes more widespread. This, however, poses a risk of increased fires at recycling sites, if these items are not carefully discarded.
NYFD Reports Increased Fires
The New York City Fire Department revealed that from November 2021 to November 2022, 191 fires involving lithium-ion batteries had been reported. It is anticipated that this figure will climb in the current year.
Recently, the Solid Waste Division of the City of Phoenix has experienced a considerable uptick in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries on municipal waste and recycling trucks. This concerning issue was highlighted by Eduardo Rodriguez, the division’s deputy public works director. He also shared that there have been several other fiery events at the city’s Material Recovery Facility’s tipping floor.
Recycling lithium-ion batteries has become a priority for many organizations, including HOBI International of Batavia, Illinois. President of the company, Craig Boswell said that his firm, a few other electronics processors, as well as various battery recyclers have the capability to recover lithium-ion batteries safely and effectively. He also shared that the U.S. Department of Energy is investing resources into developing additional facilities for this task.
“If you look at U.S. battery recycling capacity, over $1 billion has been put into battery recycling capacity in the last five years,” Boswell said.
“The [Department of Energy] announced a $350 million credit facility to further expand our ability to recycle lithium-ion batteries and recover the valuable metals that come out of these batteries. In addition, the electronics recycling community recycles consumer electronics that contain these batteries. It’s safe to say there’s more battery recycling capacity out there than batteries that need to be recycled as we wait for the wave of EV batteries. … But as my colleagues point out, not all batteries get to where we want them to go.”
“When these batteries end up in transportation and solid waste infrastructure, they represent a significant danger. It’s a safety risk to those in the facilities and to firefighters.”
Citizens Feel the Effects of Facility Fires
The effects of a waste or recycling facility fire can be felt far and wide, not only with safety-related risks but also with the delay of services. Robert Pickens, Vice President of Recycling at American Waste Control Inc., witnessed this firsthand when its 2021 fire left Tulsa citizens without curbside recycling for 11 months.
Traceable to a lack of available options, it was impossible for the company to transport its recycled materials to another Material Recovery Facility (MRF), as the closest location was over 100 miles away.
“We processed 7.8 million pounds per month on residential and commercial lines,” Pickens stated. “In the metro area, the impact was 174,000 households that were without curbside recycling for an 11-month period. We also serve the northeastern part of the state, and another 25,000 households were impacted from that.”
Technology and Education are Needed to Combat the Fires
Educational training and advanced technologies may be the key to avoiding fires at waste and recycling sites, Pickens revealed.
He also confirmed that American Waste Control is taking major steps following the 2021 MRF fire in Oklahoma. The organization is investing $12 million to restore the Tulsa facility and incorporating state-of-the-art Fire Rover detection technology.
Rodriguez revealed that the city of Phoenix is currently building a $25 million MRF, explaining that the city is collaborating with the fire department to make sure that the layout would reduce any potential danger of lithium-ion battery fires.
By inviting the local fire department to inspect the upgraded MRF, Pickens hopes they will gain a better understanding of the space. “The fire department is fully aware of where everything is,” he said. “They also know where the power cutoff is to the facility. They are very familiar with our facility now and potential hot spots.”
Reducing Risk
The importance of educating the public about lithium-ion battery fires cannot be overlooked, according to panelists. With more products now containing these types of batteries, such knowledge has become even more crucial when it comes to reducing fire risks.
“I think where we need more resources is getting information to citizens,” Pickens claimed. “I’ve felt we’ve done a great job here in Tulsa, but we still need to get that message out even more.”
During local community events, including home and garden shows, he has had the opportunity to share his knowledge on fire prevention and the proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries.
Rodriguez asserted that, while the public must be made aware of the hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries, it is just as important to provide information on how to appropriately discard of items containing these batteries.
He further specified that by providing more information about where people could take items for safe disposal, the process could be expedited.
