Proper disposal of batteries

• Energy and batteries

Hello friends!

Each of us has probably used batteries in our lives. Remote controls, watches, toys, phones, a lot of other things - there is always something in the house that runs on batteries. And they tend to develop their resource. However, does everyone know what to do with used batteries? Throw it in the trash with the rest of your household trash? It is not right!

On the battery case there is almost always a symbol in the form of a crossed out trash container, indicating that it should not be thrown away with other household waste.

But what is so harmful or dangerous about batteries?

Although a battery can explode, leak and damage your equipment, or be swallowed by your child, it will do most of its harm if it is not disposed of properly.
In general, batteries are chemical devices whose elements react, producing electricity, which we use. These elements are mainly toxic and dangerous.

• lead (accumulates in the body, affecting the kidneys, nervous system, bone tissue)
• cadmium (harmful to lungs and kidneys)
• mercury (affects the brain and nervous system)
• nickel and zinc (may cause dermatitis)
• alkalis (burn mucous membranes and skin) and others

According to statistics, a Moscow family annually throws away up to 500 grams of used batteries. In total, 2-3 thousand tons of batteries are being collected in the capital. In the United States, Americans buy nearly three billion different batteries every year, and about 180,000 tons of these batteries end up in landfills across the country.

It is difficult to imagine how much harm is being caused to the environment on a global scale.

What to do with used batteries?

What do we have?

With absence state control, there are still collection points - often they are organized by volunteers (for which many thanks to them), but various organizations and retail chains are gradually joining in.

When searching for “battery recycling,” Google returns quite a large number of mentions. I decided to systematize the information and plan to update the list periodically.

In order not to overload the article, I posted it on GoogleDocs - “List of collection points for used batteries”(information on Ukraine, Russia and Belarus).

If you have been wondering “where to take old batteries,” I hope this list will help you. Since hazardous materials are not only found in batteries, some locations may accept old household appliances, computers, fluorescent lamps, etc.

P.S.: It is believed that one AA battery pollutes about 20 sq.m. with heavy metals. soil. In the forest zone, this is the habitat of two trees, two moles, one hedgehog and several thousand earthworms.

Be responsible, habrauser. Don't thoughtlessly throw away your battery - save the hedgehog!

Ordinary small batteries, which millions of people use every day, contain very dangerous elements and can cause great harm environment and human health. Thanks to environmental activists, battery recycling in Moscow is becoming more organized and accessible.

Composition and classification

Today, every family has some piece of equipment that runs on a battery: clocks, table lamps, flashlights, etc. Often, a person, without thinking about the danger, throws the used product in the trash, not knowing that it is being accepted batteries for recycling for money. Once in a landfill and in contact with the soil, the product begins to release toxic liquid and can contaminate the soil in the area of ​​approximately 20 square meters. Batteries contain the following hazardous metals and substances:

Most people, when getting rid of such things, do not think about the fact that they can be recycled at a special collection point or placed in a store bin intended for this purpose.

A battery is a power source for equipment and electronics. Depending on the purpose they are different types:

Depending on their size, they are popularly called “finger”, “little finger”, “inch”, “barrel”. There are also flat ones, which are called “tablets”.

Scope of application

When purchasing, you must take into account the place of use, since each device has its own parameters and dimensions. Salt batteries are used in television remote controls, testers, scales, and watches. They have the ability to recharge during breaks in work, which makes them indispensable in low-power devices.

Alkaline ones require devices that consume a lot of energy: computer mice, cameras, phones. They are a little more expensive than salt ones, they have large mass and long service life, do not deteriorate at low temperatures, can be stored for about 5 years.

IN wristwatch, musical cards, and hearing aids use silver. According to their characteristics, they are similar to mercury: they give constant pressure, are stored for a long time, but are non-toxic. The only negative is that it is significantly expensive.

Lithium is used in computer and photographic equipment and medical devices. They can be of different types and sizes. Usually used when necessary stable work throughout the working day. One of distinctive features lithium type batteries are required to be sealed; even a small leak of electrolyte can cause a fire. But even if this does not happen, the battery can no longer be used. Their production is usually carried out in a room where air humidity is controlled.

A mercury battery is a galvanic cell in which zinc is the anode and mercury oxide is the cathode. An alkali acts as an electrolyte. They are more expensive than alkaline ones, since they are more constant in voltage, can be stored for a long time, and are resistant to low temperatures. Their disadvantage is that at the slightest violation of the tightness they can become dangerous during use, as well as during disposal.

Acceptance of batteries in Moscow

In many countries around the world, there have long been enterprises specializing in the processing of hazardous waste. In the USA and Europe, 50-60% of old batteries are recycled, in Australia - 80%, in Russia - about 5%. In Moscow alone, 5 million batteries are thrown away every year. There are now collection points where you can donate batteries. The battery recycling system in Moscow began operating in January 2011, when the first collection point appeared - the Biological Museum named after. Timiryazev. About 30,000 units were collected in just 1 year.

Today, there are quite a large number of battery collection points in the capital. First of all, this is the EnergoMet company, which has a whole network of stores and supermarkets. 63 electronics stores of the German Media Markt network organized a collection of batteries in 28 cities of the Russian Federation and regularly post reports on their websites. collected quantity. Often, in order to motivate customers, stores hold promotions during which they can return batteries for money. Used products are sent for processing to the Chelyabinsk Megapolisresurs plant.

In the Globus chain of stores, located in 11 cities of Russia, batteries, mercury thermometers, and energy-saving lamps are thrown into special yellow containers, and then the store sends them to recycling and disposal facilities. Since 2014, containers have been available in all Eldorado hardware stores. operating in 173 cities across the country. They are also installed in Kuzminsky Park and in the library named after. Exupery.

You can even hand over batteries for recycling in Moscow at the entrances of some houses, if housing departments have entered into agreements with waste recycling companies - there are already more than 20 of them. The distribution of bonuses and gifts is in full swing in the online robotics store Robo ru. If someone manages to collect 365 pieces, then he receives a certificate for 1,000 rubles. Batteries in any quantity can be accepted by the courier upon delivery of the goods, or you can bring them to the store yourself.

In addition, battery collection events are being held in Russia. In 2016, an open-ended all-Russian campaign “Turned in a battery - saved a hedgehog” was held, in which both adults and children took part. In June 2017, on Mira Avenue, on the initiative of Mospriroda and with the support of many industrial enterprises, for the purpose of environmental protection, an action called “Batteries, give up!” was held.

The students collected 200 kg of used batteries that day. Recycling the collected recyclables allows us to obtain enough iron to make 200 children's bicycles.

Recycling technology

In the European Union, battery recycling is mandatory. Since 2008, all batteries and accumulators have been marked with a special symbol (a wheelie bin with a line through it) to indicate that these products should not be thrown away. Battery recycling is carried out by 40 companies in Europe. There were no such facilities in Russia until 2013, until in October 2013 a battery recycling line appeared at one of the Chelyabinsk factories.

Collecting batteries is just the beginning of the recycling process. Special points send them to the only enterprise so far - Megapolisresurs.

Manual sorting makes it possible to select all products by type. Then, along a conveyor from the container line, the batteries go to the crusher, where they are crushed. The resulting mass is fed to a magnetic tape to separate the metal.

For example, recycling a battery to extract lead goes through 4 stages. First, batteries and accumulators are loaded into a container, from where they are conveyed through a conveyor into a concrete well with an electromagnet (attracts excess scrap metal) and a mesh-shaped bottom, where there is a container for draining the electrolyte, after which the materials are crushed and separated using water mist. It is served under high pressure, small particles and plastic elements remain for further processing.

Large parts settle at the bottom of the tank and, with the help of a ladle, the metal goes into a container with caustic soda, turning into a lead mass. Lead dust also comes here, being separated from the plastic using water under high pressure. The plastic parts are collected in separate containers. Other metals are released in the same way. Afterwards, the residues are crushed again, resulting in the release of iron.

As a result, the raw materials are divided into components, packaged and sent to enterprises for reuse. Iron is used to make various parts and objects. Graphite is used in the production of mineral paints, machine parts, and new batteries. . Zinc is essential for agriculture , pharmaceutical industry. Lead alloys are used in ceramics and for the manufacture of electrodes.

The issues of collection, disposal and recycling of used batteries and accumulators are extremely relevant at the present time. Disposal of this waste is one of the most difficult problems in recycling. Almost all batteries contain toxic substances in the form of various metals and chemicals, which, when the battery cases are destroyed, enter the natural environment. In the production of batteries, lead, nickel, cadmium, zinc, mercury, silver oxide, cobalt, and lithium are used. Nickel-cadmium batteries, which are used in cell phones, are the most significant potential sources of cadmium; Mercury and lithium batteries pose a great danger as suppliers of mercury and lithium to the natural environment; In addition, lithium can spontaneously react with oxygen in the air and ignite.

Battery recycling is the process of recovering and using the materials from which batteries are made. During this process, metals are removed from the batteries, which are then reincorporated into new products. The goal of this process is to conserve energy and raw materials. Recycling such products helps preserve environment for healthy human life.

Today, there is no environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology that would allow recycling batteries that have reached the end of their life to produce products of adequate quality.

For example, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods are used to extract cadmium. Among pyrometallurgical methods based on the distillation of gaseous cadmium compounds, vacuum distillation is the most widely used. In addition to the emergency environmental hazard of this production, distillation is characterized by the production of low-quality cadmium oxide and secondary waste, the use of which in other industries is problematic.

World experience in the processing of cadmium-containing wastes has shown the promise of hydrometallurgical methods based, for the most part, on the use of solutions of sulfuric acid, ammonia, and salt compositions. The use of hydrometallurgical operations will solve both environmental problems in the disposal of cadmium-containing waste, and meet the needs of mechanical engineering and metallurgy in high-quality cadmium oxide.

The disadvantages of the sulfuric acid method are: low degree of cadmium extraction due to its loss with iron-containing middlings, technological difficulties in cleaning industrial solutions. The use of ammonia is limited by its volatility and the difficulty of regeneration.

The process of disposal and recycling of batteries and accumulators usually consists of several stages. For example, the lead-recovery battery recycling process consists of four steps.

First, the batteries and accumulators are loaded into a special large container, from where they fall on a conveyor belt into a concrete well with an electromagnet above it (which attracts excess scrap metal) and with a mesh bottom, where the electrolyte from the "leaked" batteries flows into a special container, after which the batteries crushed into small pieces with a crusher.

Then there is a process of separation of materials with the help of water dust supplied at high pressure - several tens of atmospheres. The smallest parts and plastic settle in a separate tank for subsequent concentration, while the larger parts fall to the bottom of the tank, from where they are pulled out by a mechanical ladle into a caustic soda tank, where this scrap metal is converted into lead paste. At the same stage, lead dust also enters, which, with the help of high-pressure water, is separated from the plastic, which is collected in separate containers.

The third stage is the lead smelting process. The resulting lead paste is transferred via a conveyor belt to a smelting bunker, where it is melted to a liquid state, and the released vapors are quickly cooled and discharged into separate containers (later it will go to the next stage of processing).

The fourth step in the refining process is the formation of two components - refined hard and soft lead and lead alloys that meet customer requirements. The alloys are immediately sent to factories for use, and the refined lead is heated and poured into ingots, removing scale, which are equivalent in quality to those freshly mined from lead ore.

In the summer of 2013, the English company International Innovative Technologies introduced a new technology for recycling used batteries. The method involves turning the solid elements contained in the inside of an alkaline battery into powder. Thus, the internal components of the batteries become suitable for processing through various chemical and biological processes, which result in the extraction of various metal ions, such as zinc, manganese and carbon ions.

One of the benefits of this technology is that it can easily replace traditional grinding systems with compact, high-performance units. In addition, the new development features low energy consumption and is ideal for grinding hard materials.

Of the total volume of batteries and accumulators produced in the world, only 3% of the total volume is recycled, and there is heterogeneity in this indicator across countries. Yes, in the majority European countries 25-45% of all chemical current sources (CHS) are recycled, in the USA - about 60% (97% lead-acid and 20-40% lithium-ion), in Australia - about 80%. Countries with an undeveloped system for processing chemical chemicals are developing countries, where they are practically not processed, but are disposed of with household waste.

Battery recycling in countries European Union is mandatory. Since September 26, 2008, all batteries, accumulators and their packaging must be marked with a special symbol (crossed out wheelie bin) - on the battery itself or on the packaging, depending on the size.

This special collection symbol informs consumers that batteries should not be disposed of in household waste. Instead, batteries should be taken to special recycling centers. As a rule, all major retailers have battery collection boxes.

When batteries are produced in the European Union, their price initially includes a percentage for recycling, and the buyer in the store, having returned the old batteries, will receive a price discount on new batteries. The donated items are recycled. The leader in this process is Belgium, where up to 50% of batteries are sent for recycling.

All types of batteries produced in Europe can be recycled, regardless of whether they are rechargeable or not. For recycling purposes, it does not matter whether the battery is charged, partially discharged, or completely discharged. Once the batteries are collected, they are sorted and then, depending on what type they are, the batteries are sent to the appropriate recycling plant. For example, alkaline batteries are recycled in the UK, and nickel-cadmium batteries are recycled in France.

There are about 40 companies involved in battery recycling in Europe.

In the US, in the spring of 2013, a new volunteer nationwide campaign for battery recycling was launched. In addition to directly addressing consumers and attracting volunteers, it is planned to implement a number of measures that will fundamentally change the work of companies producing batteries. Distributors and sellers will be required to ensure that batteries are collected and recycled, removing all components that can still be used during recycling, and battery manufacturing companies will have to pay for the collection, processing and disposal of batteries.

In Australia, 70 thousand tons of lead-acid are recycled annually car batteries. In Wollongong, New South Wales, Auszinc operates a company that recycles household batteries. Batteries that cannot be recycled in Australia are exported to European facilities for recycling.

Until recently, in Russia there were only companies that collected and stored batteries. Recycling was expensive and not profitable.

Official activities for the acceptance and use of batteries legal entities has been permitted since 2012 - before that, a special license was required for the collection and storage of hazardous waste. In 2004, IKEA began collecting used batteries, but was forced to stop due to requirements from Rospotrebnadzor. The Timiryazev Museum, which has been accepting batteries since 2009, has suspended acceptance of raw materials due to a lack of space to store batteries.

The Megapolis Group company accepts and transfers batteries of all types for recycling.

One of the few organizations that accepts batteries for full further processing is the Moscow Ecocenter of the Moscow State Unitary Enterprise Industrial Waste, which uses vacuum technology to control harmful emissions when shredding batteries.

In April 2013, the Chelyabinsk company Megapolisresurs also announced its readiness to recycle used batteries from all over the country. The company's technology allows 80% of alkaline batteries to be recycled.

However, there are not enough raw materials to start a large-scale battery recycling process.

Megapolisresurs is a partner in the project for the collection of used household batteries and accumulators in Moscow stores of the Media Markt chain, which starts in the fall of 2013, and from the beginning of 2014 the initiative will spread throughout Russia. As batteries accumulate, they will be packaged in sealed containers in Chelyabinsk. Substances extracted from batteries during processing (graphite, zinc and manganese salts) can later be used both to create new batteries and in other industries, in particular in pharmaceuticals.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

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Batteries are an inexpensive power source that has a wide range of applications. They are used in remote controls, watches, portable electronics, digital technology and even children's toys. Batteries must be disposed of in accordance with sanitary standards, that is, in a specialized container. Each product is marked with a sign that it should not be thrown away with normal household waste. According to the most conservative estimates, every family has at least 1 dozen food sources.

Battery types

AA batteries look quite harmless. Even their small size makes it doubtful that recycling used batteries is necessary measure. To understand what is dangerous about these miniature power sources, as a result of which the recycling of batteries is a serious problem today, you should take a closer look at their structure and chemical composition.

The battery housing is absolutely safe. It is made of metal that completely insulates the contents as long as the shell does not corrode. Interior and there is a reservoir of dangerous chemical elements that can be neutralized by recycling batteries. Each of them has an anode - zinc powder, which is impregnated with an electrolyte, and a cathode - magnesium dioxide mixed with titanium dioxide.

Products are classified depending on the electrolyte:

• Salt
• Alkaline (alkaline)
• Lithium
• Silver
• Mercury

Batteries can be made of various materials, but they contain at least 10 highly toxic chemical elements and dissolved heavy metals - lithium, mercury, lead, cadmium. Disposing of lithium and mercury power supplies in garbage bins for MSW is absolutely unacceptable.

The question of why batteries should not be thrown away with household waste is so relevant for a reason. One miniature AA battery contaminates an area of ​​20 m² of soil. Chemical substances They pollute not only the soil, they seep into groundwater, evaporate in the air and gradually poison not only nature, but also the human body. In order not to pay for carelessness with your own health, batteries must be taken to a waste battery collection point.

Why shouldn't you throw away used batteries?

It was already noted above why batteries are dangerous - due to their chemical composition. If the question arises of how to store batteries, the answer is clear - pack it tightly and take the used product to a collection point as soon as possible. To complete the picture, we should describe in detail the two main ways of poisoning nature that affect humans:

1. Over time, the capacity of the element decomposes, which leads to the release of toxic substances into the environment, that is, into the soil and air. And through it, harmful components enter groundwater, and then into reservoirs, from where the liquid goes into our homes.
2. Yes, in landfills, batteries are burned, but the smoke containing dioxins does not disappear anywhere; it ends up in the air. All plant and animal world absorbs this smoke, and through them the poison enters the human body.

All poisons that enter the human body can cause severe cancer:

• Pathologies of the brain and central nervous system
• Tumors
• Deformation of the respiratory system
• Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system

It is worth noting the fact that since the active use of lithium batteries, the number of diseases in the field of oncology has almost doubled according to the results of 2010. It is difficult to say whether this is a coincidence or not, but the fact remains a fact.

The conclusion from the above is that the battery should not be thrown into landfills for household waste. You don’t know what to do with used power supplies: they need to be taken to a battery collection point, from where they will never be released into the external environment again.

Reception point and its structure

Complete recycling of batteries in Russia, more precisely the place, where it was possible to send batteries for recycling to obtain raw materials that are suitable for reuse, became available not so long ago. In our country, this mission is carried out by only one enterprise - the Chelyabinsk plant for processing lithium batteries "Megapolisresurs". A battery collection container can be found in many electronics stores and supermarkets that have entered into an agreement with the factory.

Lately, you can often find a collection point organized by a social movement, that is, a place where anyone can come and hand over a used battery for recycling.

Megapolisresurs

The largest collection point in Russia, where all used batteries are sent for recycling. The organization was founded in 2004, but the company began directly recycling batteries only in October 2013. To begin recycling batteries, the plant had to change its own technology for processing electronic waste.

The developers note that the efficiency of their invention reaches almost a maximum of 80%, which is 20% better than abroad. For example, in Germany the recycling efficiency does not exceed 60%. Currently, the company cooperates with many large retail chains, installing collection bins in stores, and even has its own points in 24 cities of Russia. Each network has its own small battery collection point.

In 2013 the following was revised:

• Photo of waste - 1 million tons
• Electronic scrap - 500 tons
• Batteries - 3 tons

But Megapolisresurs is not going to stop there. Already in 2014, the organization attracted investments of more than 500 million rubles and is now organizing a full-fledged line for recycling spent batteries.

Various public organizations. They create a collection point, a special bin is installed in the courtyards, from where the recycled elements are subsequently sent to a battery recycling plant. Anyone can do something useful by installing a collection box in their entrance or at work. In this way, you not only show concern for the state of the environment, but also do everything possible to improve it.

Disposal procedure

With the opening of the recycling line at the Chelyabinsk plant, the question of how to properly dispose of power supplies can be considered partially resolved. Of course, on the scale of our country, just one plant is very small. But now there is confidence that recycling batteries will make it possible to neutralize at least part of the used batteries and direct the resulting resources to production needs.

How batteries are recycled - main steps:

1. Manual sorting allows you to distribute products according to their type
2. The container line delivers batteries to the crusher, where they are crushed
3. The resulting raw material falls under a magnetic tape, which separates the large elements of the metal case.
4. The remaining part is subjected to repeated crushing and iron separation
5. The resulting mass contains an electrolyte and requires a neutralization process
6. As a result of hydrometallurgical technologies, raw materials are separated into individual components and packaged.

Not all batteries are recycled. Some are subject to disposal at landfills. The country retains a large number of batteries that are thrown into trash cans and then into landfills.

Opening a business based on recycling environmentally harmful waste is quite difficult due to the low development of this industry. Recycling requires significant financial investments, which are not reimbursed by the subsequent sale of recyclable materials, so battery recycling requires government funding.

Foreign experience in recycling batteries

In the European Union, the question of where batteries should be disposed of is not raised. Containers for batteries are located in all stores and institutions. The cost of new batteries initially includes a certain percentage, taking into account recycling, and when purchasing new products, the buyer can count on a discount if they hand over the old ones. In Europe, in total, works at least 40 processing enterprises, which recycle up to 45% of all chemical food sources.

• In the USA, there is a collection point where you can throw away used batteries at every store that sells them. The collection and processing of elements is the responsibility of sellers and distributors of the relevant products, and manufacturers are required to finance all necessary activities. The amount of batteries recycled annually in the United States is up to 60%.
• The most developed in Japan effective method recycling, so the batteries are currently being stored in warehouses in compliance with safety requirements.
• Australia has the highest rate of battery recycling - the amount of recycled batteries reaches 80%. Products that local businesses are unable to recycle themselves are sent to Europe.

Batteries are harmful to the environment. That is why some entrepreneurs are rushing to master this area and open profitable business. However, in Russia there are no appropriate conditions and state support for proactive citizens. We can only hope that recycling and battery collection will reach a new level in the near future.