Batteries must be deep discharged and then deactivated for safe and proper recycling. Deactivation refers to the deep discharge of batteries to 0 volts followed by a permanent short circuit to prevent the batteries from relaxing. This was not previously standardized and was developed within a year by the DKE VDE as a preliminary standard and is currently in the public comment phase (it can be assumed that the preliminary standard will be published by the time of the conference).
This represents a major step forward in understanding and defining the condition of a battery prior to material recycling and provides the entire value chain – from politics and industry to the public and science – with certainty regarding occupational safety, storage, and transport of batteries.

The presentation will provide an overview of the background to the standard, its creation, and its publication, as well as an outlook, as the standard has received considerable attention both nationally and internationally. The standard will be applied internationally as part of the standardization process within the IEC. In addition, it will be shown why the standard will play a significant role in improving the handling of batteries in recycling.