Lead- and cadmium-based batteries pose the largest environmental
concerns, so much so that nickel-cadmium was banned in Europe in 2009.
Attempts are being made to also ban the lead-based battery, but no
suitable replacement is available as was the case by substituting
nickel-cadmium with nickel-metal-hydride. For the first time,
lithium-ion has been added to the list of pollutants. This chemistry was
classified as only mildly toxic, but their sheer volume requires
tighter scrutiny.
Lead acid paved the way to the success of recycling, and today more than
97 percent of these batteries are recycled in the USA. The automotive
industry should be given credit for having organized recycling early;
however, business reasons rather than environmental concerns may have
been the driving force. The recycling process is simple and 70 percent
of the battery’s weight is reusable lead.
Over 50 percent of the lead supply comes from recycled batteries. Other
battery types are not as economical to recycle and are not being
returned as readily as lead acid. Several organizations are working on
programs to make the collection of all batteries convenient. Only 20 to
40 percent of batteries in mobile phones and other consumer products are
currently recycled. The goal of recycling is to prevent hazardous
materials from entering landfills and to utilize the retrieved materials
in the fabrication of new products.
Spent batteries should be removed from the household. Old primary cells
are known to leak and cause damage to the surrounding area. Do not store
old lead acid batteries where children play. Simply touching the lead
poles can be harmful. Also, keep button cells hidden from small children
as they can swallow these batteries.
Even though environmentally unfriendly, lead acid batteries continue to
hold a strong market niche, especially as a starter battery. Wheeled
mobility and UPS systems could not run as economically if it were not
for this reliable battery. NiCd also continues to hold a critical
position among rechargeable batteries as large flooded NiCds start jet
airplanes and propel sightseeing boats in rivers of larger cities.
Although pollution-free, these batteries are in decline.
Batteries with toxic substances will continue to be with us and there is
nothing wrong in using them as long as they are being disposed of
properly. Each battery chemistry has its own recycling procedure and the
process begins by sorting the batteries into the correct categories.
Lead Acid: Recycling of lead acid began with the introduction of the
starter battery in 1912. The process is simple and cost-effective as
lead is easy to extract and can be reused multiple times. This led to
many profitable businesses and the recycling of other batteries.
In late 2013, smelters started to report an increased number of Li-ion
batteries being mixed in with lead acid, especially in starter
batteries. This can cause fires, leading to explosion and personal
injury. The physical appearance of lead acid and Li-ion packs are
similar and sorting at high volume poses a challenge. For consumers, a
battery is a battery and folks are enticed to recycle all batteries,
never mind the chemistry. As more lead acid are being replaced with
Li-ion, the problem will only escalate. From 2010–2013, there has been a
10-fold increase in reported incidents of infiltration of Li-ion with
lead acid.
Please note that Li-ion is more volatile when stripped than lead acid.
Presorting is done for safety reasons and not to separate hazardous
material. Lead acid is benign but toxic, Li-ion is non-malignant but
explosive.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) initiate action through increased
awareness, employee training, battery identification and labeling. X-ray
technologies to separate batteries are being explored and “who carries
the liability?” is being asked. Battery manufacturers put the
responsibility on the recyclers who in turn argue that the burden and
sustainability of a product must be borne by the manufacturer. The
courts may become the arbitrators.
Nickel-cadmium: When NiCd batteries are disposed of carelessly, the
metallic cell cylinder eventually corrode in the landfill. Cadmium
dissolves and seeps into the water supply. Once contamination begins,
authorities are helpless to stop the carnage. Our oceans already show
traces of cadmium (along with aspirin, penicillin and antidepressants)
but scientists are not certain of its origin.
Nickel-metal-hydride: Nickel and the electrolyte in NiMH are semi-toxic.
If no disposal service is available in an area, individual NiMH
batteries can be discarded with other household waste in small
quantities; however, with 10 or more batteries, the user should consider
disposal them in a secure waste landfill. The better alternative is
taking the spent batteries to a neighborhood drop-off bin for recycling.
Primary Lithium: These batteries contain metallic lithium that reacts
violently when in contact with moisture and must be disposed of
appropriately. If thrown in a landfill in a charged state, heavy
equipment operating on top could crush the cases and the exposed lithium
could ignite a fire. Landfill fires are difficult to extinguish and can
burn for years underground. Before recycling, apply a full discharge to
consume the lithium content. Primary lithium batteries (lithium-metal)
are used in military combat, as well as in watches, sensors, hearing
aids and memory backup. A lithium-metal variety also serves as alkaline
replacement in AAA, AA and 9V formats. Li-ion for mobile phones and
laptops do not contain metallic lithium.
Lithium-ion: Li-ion is reasonably harmless but spent packs should be
disposed of properly. This is done less to retrieve valuable metals, as
is the case with lead acid, than for environmental reasons, especially
with the growing volume used in consumer products. Li-ion contains
harmful elements that are at the toxicity level of electronic devices.
Alkaline: After lowering the mercury content in alkaline batteries in
1996, many territories now allow disposing these batteries as regular
domestic trash; however, California considers all batteries hazardous
waste. In Europe, lead acid, NiCd, mercury containing batteries,
unsorted collections of multiple battery types, and battery electrolytes
are considered hazardous waste. All others can pass as non-hazardous.
Most stores selling batteries are also required to take back spent
batteries. Alkaline batteries contain the reusable materials of zinc and
manganese but the retrieval process is a liability. Efforts are made to
increase the recycling of alkaline cells from the low 4 percent in 2015
to 40 percent in 2025.
In North America, Retriev Technologies, formerly Toxco, and the
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) collect spent
batteries and recycle them. While Retriev has its own recycling
facilities, RBRC is in charge of collecting batteries and sending them
to recycling organizations. Retriev in Trail, British Columbia, claims
to be the only company in the world that recycles large lithium
batteries. They receive spent batteries from oil drilling in Nigeria,
Indonesia and other places. They also recycle retired lithium batteries
from the Minuteman missile silos and tons of Li-ion from war efforts.
Other divisions at Retriev recycle nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal-hydride,
lead, mercury, alkaline and more.
Europe and Asia are also active in recycling spent batteries. Among
other recycling companies, Sony and Sumitomo Metal in Japan and Umicore
in Belgium have developed technology to retrieve cobalt and other
precious metals from spent lithium ion batteries.
Umicore uses an ultra-high temperature (UHT) processes to recycle Li-ion
and NiMH batteries. Spent packs are dismantled and melted in an UHT
furnace. The derbies are separated into metal alloy containing copper,
cobalt and nickel, and slag, a stony waste containing rare earth metals.
Slag can be further processed to recover lithium, but producing
battery-grade lithium is not yet economical and the slag is used for
construction. Methods are being developed to extract lithium for
reprocessing into lithium carbonate for Li-ion production. With an
anticipated 10-fold growth in the use of Li-ion batteries between 2020
and 2030, the reuse of lithium could become economical so the metals end
up in battery production again much like lead for lead acid batteries.
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