Lead battery recycling marks a strategic point in the journey of the constituent materials. The plastic case, and the lead plates and sulfuric acid inside have completed their task of delivering electricity. Now they enter a new period of usefulness. Recycling lead-acid batteries is one of the great success stories of the recycling industry.
In fact, we manage to recycle more than 95% of them as a nation. This is twice as good as our success rate with soda cans and newspapers. First, using battery dealers as the start point for lead battery recycling makes it easier for consumers. Then economies of scale render a highly mechanized process like this possible.
Benefits of Lead Battery Recycling in More Detail
After smashing the old batteries in hammer mills, recyclers wash the plastic that floats to the top of water. Then they air dry it and convert it into plastic pellets. These go to battery case factories and other plastic manufacturers for re-purposing as the everyday objects around us.
Next, they neutralize the sulfuric acid and turn it into water. This is the most economical solution as sulfur is abundant in nature. Some does however reappear in laundry detergent. But the ‘pot of gold at the end of the rainbow’ of lead battery recycling is the lead itself.
The recyclers melt the lead in huge furnaces, and pour it into large, 2,000-pound ‘hogs’, and smaller ingots. Finally, they scrape away any impurities that float to the surface of the molten liquid, before cooling it, and sending the product to battery manufacturers to reuse.
The Never-Ending Tale of Lead Battery Recycling
Lead-acid batteries typically contain between 65% and 80% recycled lead. This process can continue indefinitely if need be. The lead in your UPS battery could conceivably have come from someone’s auto starter battery. That’s thanks to the minor miracle of lead battery recycling.
Related
Recycling Old Car Batteries to Make Solar Cells
Preview Image: Lead Ingots from Ancient Roman Times
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/oJj5iIwF8p4
