TECHNOLOGY: Barnbrook Systems managing director Andrew Barnett with The One Show presenter Lindsey Russell
Game changing technology pioneered in Hampshire which combats exploding lithium-ion batteries is set to feature on prime time TV.
The E:bag is to appear on the BBC’s flagship evening programme The One Show, which attracts nearly three million viewers every night.
Fareham firms Barnbrook Systems and Flair have joined forces to create E:bag, which is being trialled at TJ Waste & Recycling in Portsmouth.
It allows batteries or their parent devices – such as mobile phones, laptops, e-cigarettes and e-scooters – to be safely isolated and dealt with if overheating, smoking or on fire.
Patented nanotechnology has been used to create the E:bag’s temperature sensitive smart fabric which adapts to completely smother the battery or hardware once it has been placed inside – extinguishing flames or preventing ignition.
A production crew filmed a demonstration of the innovative E:bag in action at Barnbrook Systems in Fareham Park Road and shot scenes at TJ Waste & Recycling’s Materials Recovery Facility in Tipner.
It comes as the Lithium-io
n Battery Safety Bill to improve the safe storage, use and disposal of lithium-ion batteries passes through its committee stage at the House of Lords.
Andrew Barnett, managing director of 50-strong Barnbrook Systems, said: “It was a spectacular demonstration of the E:bag’s capabilities.
“We used a lithium-ion battery from a smart phone, which exploded into flames and then were completely supressed when placed in the E:bag.
“Our thanks go to The One Show for visiting and helping us to spread the word about how this increasingly dangerous issue can be dealt with in a safe, secure and efficient way.”
Presenter Lindsey Russell interviewed Andrew and TJ director Luke Haskell for the piece as well as product safety engineer Guiseppe Capanna from the Electrical Safety First charity which is backing the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill.
The E:bag – which is also fitted with Barnbrook’s BlueCube© tracking and monitoring sensors – is being adapted for trials at TJ Waste and Recycling’s Materials Recovery Facility at Tipner in Portsmouth. It is the UK’s first pilot project of its kind.
John Gosling, managing director of the TJ Group, which owns waste management specialist TJ Waste & Recycling, said: “This technology is crucial in helping us to manage the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries and to ultimately keep our sites, employees and local communities safe.
“However, we must continue to combat the wider issue of battery-related fires in the resource and waste management sector by raising awareness of the risks of incorrectly discarded lithium-ion batteries and items containing lithium-ion batteries.
“It is vital that the public know where to discard of them in a safe and environmentally friendly way by, for example, visiting their local council website for relevant information.”
Barnbrook sealed off an area of the grounds of its headquarters in Fareham Park Road for the demonstration under strict health and sa
fety conditions.
The One Show feature comes as interest grows in E:bag from multiple sectors following its launch in July of this year.
Global engineering solutions provider Barnbrook and innovative micro-business Flair are in talks with major international airlines about the use of an E:bag on their passenger aircraft.
They are also speaking to the insurance industry and one of the UK’s top waste management companies with depots nationwide as a direct result of Flair directors speaking at the national Fire Prevention and Control in the Waste and Recycling Industry conference on November 13 in Birmingham.
Safety issues with lithium-ion batteries are caused when the battery’s temperature rises uncontrollably in a dangerous process known as thermal runaway.
According to latest figures from the British Safety Council 10 people have died and 190 people have been injured from fires linked to lithium-ion batteries since 2020.
According to latest figures, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) received 65 reports of lithium-ion battery fires involving PEDs carried by passengers in 2023 – a 60% increase on the previous year.
Figures from business insurer QBE, based on freedom of information requests to UK fire and rescue services, showed that there were 921 call outs to fires linked to lithium-ion batteries in 2023, an increase of 46% on 2022.
TJ Waste & Recycling provides commercial waste management and workplace recycling services as well as skip and specialist waste management for the public and trade.
It is part of the TJ Group which also operates bulk haulage and muck-away TJ Transport. TJ Group employs 197 people and operates a fleet of 80 liveried vehicles.
A major blaze involving 117 tonnes of material at its Materials Recovery Facility at Tipner in Portsmouth on July 6 was believed to have been sparked by a lithium-ion battery.
Elsewhere, a battery sparked a fire in a refuse truck in the north east. Durham County Council said it was 12th such fire in the past five years. Lincolnshire County Council has attributed more than 60 fires at one of its recycling centres to devices containing batteries.
Independent business Barnbrook’s award-winning Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) technology BlueCube© tracks such parameters as pressure, temperature and movement in real time with reading sent live to phone, laptop, desktop, tablet or phone for monitoring and intervention.
It can be used to track temperature and humidity of the interiors of E:bag to monitor the condition of the suspect or burning devices inside.
The Lithium-ion Battery Safety Bill is a private members bill which has been introduced by Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Redesdale.
It is at committee stage in the House of Lords before going to the House of Commons.
No date has yet been given for the screening of the E:bag feature on The One Show.
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