Battery Waste

Abstract

In today's global economy, the practice of sustainable development is of particular importance to the handling of toxic materials such as lead to encourage industrial organizations and its stakeholders to take an active role in maximizing human and environmental health. Currently, there is limited information on recycling rates for lead-acid batteries (LAB) in the published literature. By the late 1900s, the use of lead was significantly reduced or eliminated in non-battery products in most of the developed and developing countries, including gasoline, paints, solders, and water systems. As the use of lead in non-lead battery products has continued to decline, the demand of lead has continued to grow in starting–lighting–ignition (SLI) and non-SLI LAB applications (such as, motive sources of power for industrial forklifts, mining equipment, airport ground equipment, uninterruptible power systems in telecommunication networks). In the early 2000s, the total demand for lead in all types of lead-acid storage batteries represented around 88% of apparent lead consumption. Three opportunities for lead recovery and recycling include lead in spent batteries with consumers, mishandled batteries sent to auto wreckers, and lead in spent batteries in municipal waste. In light of increased lead prices, it makes economic and environmental sense to maximize lead recovery and recycling by establishing a strong ecologic interface between various stakeholders and consumers.