GlobalShredding lithium batteries can release carbon nanotubes above the recommended exposure limit.
Nanotubes in nanomaterial-containing batteries raise occupational health concerns for recycling workers, the authors said.
Shredding to under 1 cm and milling to under 0.5 mm released both ultrafine particles and nanotubes.
Total particle counts stayed under 1,000 per cm³, so counting particles alone missed the nanotube exposure, the authors found.
The study is laboratory work on LiFePO₄ cells, and its authors call for method validation in industrial recycling.
How each outlet framed it
- Nature
- measures CNT release during battery shredding/milling with Raman analysis; shows concentrations exceed 1 µg/m³ occupational limit, requiring chemistry-specific monitoring beyond particle counts
Sources: Nature