Comparative Performance Evaluation of Toxicity Assessment Tests on Waste Li-Ion Laptop Batteries

Li-ion or lithium-ion batteries (also called LIBs) in the modern time are used everywhere be it the automobile sector, IT sector or anywhere else. As we are heading towards development, the advancements in technology have led to an increase in electric and electronic appliances, which would in turn result in an increased demand for batteries. Hence, the amount of battery waste is also rising day by day. Globally, the amount of e-waste, which is disposed off per year is around 20–50 million tonnes, of which batteries are a major part. Although there is no definite official data on the generation and disposal of battery waste in India, the amount can be estimated indirectly using the approximate e-waste data, which is based on independent studies conducted by the NGOs or government agencies. According to the Battery University, the global battery market is about 50 billion US dollars out of which approximately 5.5 billion US dollars is for rechargeable batteries. The annual growth rate was about 6% through 2006 which was estimated to increase steadily after that. As per a UN report, in India, there is a prediction of 500% rise in the waste from discarded computers by 2020, and rise in the waste from discarded mobile phones is estimated to be about 18 times than 2007. In spite of the advancements in technology, the waste disposal and management practices are still poor, outdated and sometimes illegal.