Some Useful Information About Batteries
When you need a portable, convenient power source, you can rely on batteries.
Batteries of all shapes and sizes supply power to everyday electronics like toys
and power tools, but batteries also work where we don't see them too. During a
power outage, phone lines still operate because they are equipped with lead-acid
batteries. Batteries help control power fluctuations, run commuter trains, and
provide back-up power for critical needs like hospitals and military operations.
The versatility of batteries is reflected in the different sizes and shapes, but
all batteries have two common elements that combine to make power: an
electrolyte and a heavy metal.
Some Facts About Batteries
- People purchase billions of dry-cell batteries every year to power radios,
toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools.
- Inside a battery, heavy metals react with chemical electrolyte to produce the
battery's power.
- Wet-cell batteries, which contain a liquid electrolyte, commonly power
automobiles, boats, or motorcycles.
- Nearly 99 million wet-cell lead-acid car batteries are manufactured each year.
- In America Mercury was phased out of certain types of batteries in conjunction
with the "Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act," passed in
1996.
- Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling
saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new
batteries.
Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which
can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When
incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in
the ash produced by the combustion process.
One way to reduce the number of batteries in the waste stream is to purchase
rechargeable batteries. Nearly one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the
United States is rechargeable. Over its useful life, each rechargeable battery
may substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries.
Battery Recycling
Lead-Acid Automobile Batteries
Nearly 90 percent of all lead-acid batteries are recycled. Almost any retailer
that sells lead-acid batteries collects used batteries for recycling, as
required by most state laws. Reclaimers crush batteries into nickel-sized pieces
and separate the plastic components. They send the plastic to a reprocessor for
manufacture into new plastic products and deliver purified lead to battery
manufacturers and other industries. A typical lead-acid battery contains 60 to
80 percent recycled lead and plastic.
Non-Automotive Lead-Based Batteries
Gel cells and sealed lead-acid batteries are commonly used to power industrial
equipment, emergency lighting, and alarm systems. The same recycling process
applies as with automotive batteries. An automotive store or a local waste
agency may accept the batteries for recycling.
Dry-Cell Batteries
Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA),
mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and
zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable). On
average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per
year.
- Alkaline and Zinc-Carbon Batteries
Alkaline batteries, the everyday household batteries used in flashlights, remote
controls, and other appliances. Several reclamation companies now process these
batteries.
- Button-Cell Batteries
Most small, round "button-cell" type batteries found in items such as watches
and hearing aids contain mercury, silver, cadmium, lithium, or other heavy
metals as their main component. Button cells are increasingly targeted for
recycling because of the value of recoverable materials, their small size, and
their easy handling relative to other battery types.
