Concerns Raised over Lithium-ion Battery Fire Hazards

A recycling sorting factory worker in the Chungcheong region experienced two fires while on the job last year. "This was caused by the inclusion of lithium ion batteries in the bags," he said. In May, a small household appliance containing a lithium ion battery caught fire after being run over by a forklift at a recycling sorting center in Seoul.

Last May, a recycling sorting facility in Seoul experienced a fire related to lithium-ion batteries. This information was provided by the Korea Battery Recycling Association.

As the usage of secondary batteries and lithium-ion secondary batteries increases in electric vehicles and drones, concerns about the risk of fires or explosions have also risen. According to data from the Korean Battery Recycling Association, in 2018, lithium-ion secondary batteries accounted for only 0.92% (28,730 kg) of the total battery inventory. However, it increased to 1.43% (69,570 kg) last year and to 2.72% (as of June) in the first half of this year.

Currently, according to Article 18 of the Implementation Regulations of the Resource Conservation and Recycling Promotion Law, six types of batteries, including mercury batteries and primary lithium batteries, are subject to the Producer Responsibility Recycling System (EPR), but not secondary lithium batteries. Under this system, product producers are obligated to recycle a certain amount of product waste, and failure to comply may result in fees exceeding the cost of recycling.

The Ministry of Environment believes that it is necessary to strengthen the management of lithium-ion batteries. The ministry has commissioned the Korean Environmental Corporation to conduct a study from April to October on "how to expand and operate environmental protection systems for all electrical and electronic products related to lithium-ion batteries." The environmental protection system refers to a system that holds producers partially responsible for the collection of electronic and electrical products. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment stated, "In order to further utilize resources, we are investigating measures to include lithium-ion batteries and the electrical/electronic products that use them into producer responsibility recycling and environmental assurance systems. After gathering opinions from relevant stakeholders, if necessary, we will manage through a responsible producer recycling system, including revising enforcement regulations.

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