Safety Concerns for the Management of End‐of‐Life Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Lithium‐ion battery (LIB) usage is growing dramatically worldwide. Relatedly, there is a need for the management of end‐of‐life (EOL) LIBs. EOL requires closed‐loop systems and supply chains. Although many studies related to managing EOL in closed‐loop supply chains exist, one especially pernicious issue is overlooked—safety. This study seeks to address this major safety oversight for EOL LIBs using closed‐loop supply chains that are critical to a larger circular economy environment. The evaluation is completed along a technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework; potential research directions for mitigating safety issues are part of the analysis of this study. Specific and general research questions pertaining to secure management of EOL LIBs are put forward to help advance academic research. Practical concerns are also described for policymakers and organizations. This study reveals implications of these questions for the intersection of materials science, supply chain management, and fire‐protection engineering. Increasing end‐of‐life lithium‐ion battery quantities makes closed‐loop supply chains noteworthy to help maintain continuity of material sources. There are safety issues in these closed loop processes. Specific research questions are proposed based on the technology–organization–environment framework according to analysis of safety factors across various activities. Further evaluation of interactions and general research questions on risk mitigation are raised.