Recycle lithium battery from e-cigarette

Just a small reminder that waste can also contain valuable resources. For example electronic cigarettes (ELFBAR, etc…) for one time use contain a huge battery which is rechargeable. I found plenty around my home in the city forest. Few of them were heavily degraded, but most of them still worked fine.
Teardown of an original unit – fake units require a little more violence to open up.

Some details how to make use of it (talking about the battery):

500 – 850 mAh is quite nice (smartphones come with around 4000 mAh)
Voltage: as usual 3.3 up to 3.7 Volts
Charging voltage: 4.2 Volts

But for safe use, it lacks a charger board and a protection circuit.

Some example for a charger board can be found with names like “TP4056” or “TC4056A“. To use it as a standard battery, BMS S1 (something like “battery management system”) is helpful aswell.

03692A charger module I found in my workshop

A few ideas how the battery can be used:
* ESP8266 battery shield
* LED lights

1 thought on “Recycle lithium battery from e-cigarette

  1. The article on Screen Zone addressing the recycling of lithium batteries from e-cigarettes provides important insights into the environmental impact and proper disposal methods for these batteries. Although the focus is on general lithium batteries, the principles discussed are applicable to LiFePO4 battery as well. The article emphasizes the need for effective recycling processes to manage battery waste responsibly and reduce environmental harm. It highlights how recycling can recover valuable materials and minimize the ecological footprint of battery usage. Overall, this article is a valuable resource for understanding the significance of battery recycling and the steps needed to ensure sustainable disposal practices, including those relevant to LiFePO4 batteries.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.