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Battery recycling is a recycling activity that aims to reduce the number of batteries being disposed as municipal solid waste. It is widely promoted by environmentalists concerned about contamination, particularly of land and water, by the addition of heavy metals and other toxic chemicals from batteries, their dumping has raised concern over risks of soil contamination and water pollution.

recycling one forklift battery (1 ton to 3 pound battery) could keep 1,300 pounds to 39/20 tons of toxic lead out of landfills

recycling one button cell battery could keep almost 25 mg’s of mercury out of landfills

recycling one car battery (360/13 pound battery) could keep 18 pounds of toxic lead, 5 pounds of sulfuric acid out of landfills, and save a 27/100 cubic meter lake, 111/10,000 cubic yards of landfill space, almost 3 pounds of black gold, 8,661/1,000 kWh of energy, 411/400 gallons of oil, 147,000 Btu's of energy, 6/25 gallons of petroleum, enough energy to heat over 63/40,000 homes, a CFL for 6,119/13,309,556 years, a (9-18)/1,600 cubic meter tank of gasoline, enough oil to run the average car for 1,233/80 miles or circle the globe almost 5,754/5 times, a 30,825 cubic meter lake from being polluted, 1,233/3,200 tons of green house gases, 282,357/40,000,000 tons of co2, 3,490,383/116,800,000,000 metric tons or 8,661/2,500,000 tons of coal, 2,997/200,000 tons of solid waste, 411/100 acres of soil from being polluted, 8,661/20,000 metric tons of limestone, 104,529,609/14,800,000,000 tons of air pollution per year, $10.80 in water

recycling one average battery (350/13 pound battery) could keep 35/2 pounds of toxic lead, and a 9/1,600 cubic meter container or 5 pounds of sulfuric acid out of landfills

• One pound battery: 13/20 pounds of toxic lead
• One ton battery: 1,300 pounds of toxic lead
• One ounce battery: 13/320 pounds of toxic lead
• One gram battery: 91π/200,000 pounds of toxic lead
• One kilogram battery: 91π/200,000,000 pounds of toxic lead
• One metric ton battery: 91π/200,000 pounds of toxic lead

Categories of batteries Edit

Recycling technologies Edit

• Hydrometallurgical processes
  • Batteries concerned: Alkaline, Leclanché cells, Li
  • Could be in completed by other processes: Pyrometallurgical

• Pyrometallurgical processes
  • Batteries concerned: Pb, NiMH, Ni-Cd, Alkaline, Leclanché cells

• Thermical processes (pyrolyse)
  • Batteries concerned: Ni-Cd, NiMH, Alkaline, Leclanché cells with Hg
  • Could be in completed by other processes: Hydrometallurgical and Pyrometallurgical

• Chemical processes
  • Batteries concerned: Mn, Zn

Battery composition by typeEdit

Italics designates button cell types.
Bold designates secondary types.
All figures are percentages, on account of rounding they may not add up to exactly 100.

Recycling processes Edit

• There is a tax on the price of each battery. This money is used to fund the collects of batteries.
• The batteries are collected. There are 2 possible ways of doing this:
  • By throwing the batteries in a special bin used for all-kind of recycling. The emptying of the bin is managed by the city (like ordinary waste).
  • The consumer brings back the batteries to a specific area. It could be a shop or a box placed in a public location (school).
• Batteries are sorted by types.
• Batteries are sent to specialized firms. These firms will use a recycling technology to gather the composites of the battery.
• The results of the recycling are chemical elements that could be used again to make new batteries.

Laws Edit

In the United States, it is forbidden to throw out Ni-Cd batteries in Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Vermont.

In the European Union edicted 2 directives:

• 91/157 (18th march 1991)
• 98/101 (22th december 1998)

The European Union is working on a third directive to force the organization of separated collects of used batteries (rechargeable and non-rechargeable).

Informations on battery recycling by country Edit

List of organizations collecting batteries.

Canada: the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) (Created in 1994) Belgium: BIBAT (Created in 1995)\

See alsoEdit

• Rechargeable battery
• Recycling and Donating Old Electronics

ReferencesEdit

^[2]

External LinksEdit

Lead Acid Battery Recycling Plant