X-ray technologies to separate batteries are being explored and вЂњwho carries the liability?вЂќ is being asked. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) initiate action through increased awareness, employee training, battery identification and labeling. Lead acid is benign but toxic, Li-ion is non-malignant but explosive. Presorting is done for safety reasons and not to separate hazardous material. Please note that Li-ion is more volatile when stripped than lead acid. From 2010вЂ“2013, there has been a 10-fold increase in reported incidents of infiltration of Li-ion with lead acid. As more lead acid are being replaced with Li-ion, the problem will only escalate. For consumers, a battery is a battery and folks are enticed to recycle all batteries, never mind the chemistry. The physical appearance of lead acid and Li-ion packs are similar and sorting at high volume poses a challenge. This can cause fires, leading to explosion and personal injury. In late 2013, smelters started to report an increased number of Li-ion batteries being mixed in with lead acid, especially in starter batteries.

Figure 1: Lead acid are the most recycled batteries. This led to many profitable businesses and the recycling of other batteries.

The process is simple and cost-effective as lead is easy to extract and can be reused multiple times. Lead Acid: Recycling of lead acid began with the introduction of the starter battery in 1912. Each battery chemistry has its own recycling procedure and the process begins by sorting the batteries into the correct categories. Although pollution-free, these batteries are in decline.Д«atteries 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. 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. Wheeled mobility and UPS systems could not run as economically if it were not for this reliable battery. (See BU-703: Health Concerns with Batteries)Д®ven though environmentally unfriendly, lead acid batteries continue to hold a strong market niche, especially as a starter battery.

Also, keep button cells hidden from small children as they can swallow these batteries. Simply touching the lead poles can be harmful. Do not store old lead acid batteries where children play. Old primary cells are known to leak and cause damage to the surrounding area. Spent batteries should be removed from the household. The goal of recycling is to prevent hazardous materials from entering landfills and to utilize the retrieved materials in the fabrication of new products. Only 20 to 40 percent of batteries in mobile phones and other consumer products are currently recycled. Several organizations are working on programs to make the collection of all batteries convenient. Other battery types are not as economical to recycle and are not being returned as readily as lead acid. Over 50 percent of the lead supply comes from recycled batteries. The recycling process is simple and 70 percent of the batteryвЂ™s weight is reusable lead. 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. Lead acid paved the way to the success of recycling, and today more than 97 percent of these batteries are recycled in the USA. This chemistry was classified as only mildly toxic, but their sheer volume requires tighter scrutiny.

For the first time, lithium-ion has been added to the list of pollutants. 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. Lead- and cadmium-based batteries pose the largest environmental concerns, so much so that nickel-cadmium was banned in Europe in 2009.

Used batteries