When there’s yet another battery fire we need to recall there are good and bad lithium (Li) sides too. That’s a fact about life really. As Mark Twain said, “A good conscience is a sure sign of a bad memory”. Joe Schwarcz sought to restore the balance on November 8, 2019 in Montreal Gazette. One favor deserved another and we decide to pass his ideas on.
Our Good and Bad Lithium Ally Travels With Us
Li may be the lightest element of all, but it sure packs an impressive punch when incorporated in batteries. A typical one comprises a lithium-cobalt-oxide electrode, and a graphite one. Then there’s a separator to control the flow of electrons.
When good and bad lithium batteries are behaving, Li ions pass through the separator between the electrodes. However the electrons can’t do that. So they pass between the terminals via devices and that’s how the electricity works.
This system performs well and should be perfectly safe. That’s because the unstable element is tied down in a matrix of other metals, so it can’t get out of hand and overheat.
Unfortunately, the Element is Unstable When It Escapes
Mark Twain might also have said “A good Li battery can serve as a warning”. That’s because extracting it from the earth damages the environment, and there are concerns about miners’ health. Then there’s also the unresolved question about how to recycle spent lithium batteries.
However, the biggest drawbacks in good and bad lithium batteries are stories of phones exploding, and airplanes catching fire. But we keep using them, just like we keep following our sports stars after they misbehave. Why is that? It is because they are the best we have, and we cannot get by without them.
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