Lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous in modern life, powering everything from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles and solar storage systems. Along with their benefits comes a serious challenge; these batteries pose fire and safety risks and are classified as dangerous goods for transport.
In South Africa, the transportation of dangerous goods is governed by national standards aligned with international regulations. Lithium-ion batteries are officially classified as Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles, including environmentally hazardous substances in SANS 10228, the South African standard for identifying and classifying dangerous goods.
Class 9 is a category for hazards that do not fit neatly into other classes. In this case, lithium batteries pose a combination of chemical and energetic risks rather than a flammability or toxicity alone. Being Class 9 means that any significant shipment of lithium-ion batteries (for example, bulk batteries or batteries not installed in equipment) must adhere to strict transport requirements, including the use of appropriate labels, documentation, and packaging.
This local classification mirrors international practice. SANS 10228 is a mandatory standard and is harmonised with the United Nations’ Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods system, meaning if you follow SANS 10228 you are largely in line with UN and local codes.
A key requirement across these regulations is proper packaging. Damaged, defective or bulk lithium-ion cells cannot just be thrown into ordinary boxes. They typically must be packed in UN-approved containers that have passed rigorous tests to ensure they can contain the contents even if things go wrong.
Fire and environmental hazards
Under normal conditions, a lithium-ion cell is safe and sealed. But physical damage, manufacturing defects, overheating, overcharging, or short-circuits can all trigger a failure mode known as thermal runaway. In a thermal runaway event, the battery’s internal temperature rapidly rises out of control, causing the stored chemical energy to release suddenly as heat, fire, and sometimes an explosion. Essentially, the battery starts to fuel itself. The heat causes more of the battery’s components to decompose and react, which generates even more heat in a dangerous feedback loop. An electric vehicle battery fire can burn at around 2760°C, much hotter than a typical petrol fire.
The environmental and health hazards of a lithium-ion battery fire are also severe. Unlike an ordinary fire that produces ‘smoke’ made up of mostly carbon particulates, a Li-ion battery fire can vent a cocktail of toxic and corrosive gases. The rapid decomposition of the battery’s electrolyte and other components releases substances like carbon monoxide, various hydrocarbons, and often significant amounts of hydrogen fluoride (HF), a highly toxic gas that turns into hydrofluoric acid on contact with moisture. These vapours are harmful to breathe and can corrode equipment or structures.
Perhaps most troubling, a lithium-ion fire can be difficult to extinguish with conventional tools. The battery’s internal chemistry provides its own oxidiser, so simply smothering the fire might not work because the reaction does not need outside oxygen. Water is commonly recommended to cool lithium-ion fires, but water can also react to form HF acid as mentioned, posing a chemical hazard to firefighters.
Passive fire protection solutions
Given the limitations of traditional firefighting methods against lithium battery fires, attention has turned toward preventative and passive fire protection strategies. The idea is to mitigate the impact of a battery fire before, or as soon as it starts. This is where innovations like PyroBubbles come into play.
PyroBubbles is an engineered extinguishing and insulating material developed by Genius Group in Germany. It looks like a fine, lightweight granular product. These granules, essentially, are a form of glass and have some remarkable properties that make them well-suited to combat lithium battery fires in a passive way. PyroBubbles granules, a completely non-combustible glass-based material, can encapsulate lithium-ion batteries to suppress fires and absorb heat.
These granules have high thermal stability. They can withstand temperatures of around 1050°C before they begin to melt. And if they do encounter extreme heat beyond that, they melt and then re-solidify into a glassy crust, which forms an insulating layer over the fire. This behaviour effectively smothers flames and blocks heat transfer – the fire is sealed off by a ‘ceramic’ shell that the melting PyroBubbles create around the burning object. In a lithium battery thermal runaway, this can prevent the fire from spreading to nearby cells or equipment.
Another critical property is their ability to absorb and contain hazardous substances. PyroBubbles granules are highly porous and have low density. They will float on liquids and can soak up spilled electrolytes or other flammable liquids, binding them inside the granules. When a battery goes into failure and vents gases, the granules help condense and adsorb those vapours.
Safe storage and transport
While PyroBubbles by itself is sold as a loose extinguishing and packing material, Genius Group has integrated this material into ready-to-use solutions, notably the ‘Genius Boxes’ for lithium-ion batteries. These are specialised containers designed for the safe storage and transport of lithium-ion battery packs or cells, especially those that are damaged, defective, or otherwise at risk. Essentially, they are high-tech safety boxes lined or filled with PyroBubbles.
These Genius Boxes come in various sizes, from small portable cases (for devices like a power tool or laptop batteries) up to large industrial crates that can hold heavy EV battery modules or multiple batteries. They are built with practical features for users; for instance, the smaller ones have handles and straps for easy carrying, and even options to allow charging a battery while it is safely enclosed (using special cable pass-throughs and ventilation so you can charge an e-bike or power tool battery inside the box without opening it). The larger containers are stackable for efficient storage and have inner baskets and padding to secure the battery in place surrounded by the correct thickness of PyroBubbles on all sides.
Crucially, the Genius Boxes have been rigorously tested and certified to international standards for dangerous goods packaging. They have undergone at least 40 full-scale fire and safety tests during development. As a result, they carry UN markings and approvals for the transport of lithium batteries (Class 9).
For more information contact Pyro Brand,
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