Important for us to recycle the lead acid battery
The lead acid battery uses a reversible chemical to store energy. This occurs when two dissimilar plates (positive and negative plates) are immersed in the electrolyte, a solution of sulfuric acid and water. When lead-acid batteries are improperly disposed of, the acid is absorbed into the soil and leaks into waterways, causing serious contamination. The electrolyte of lead-acid batteries is hazardous to your health and may produce burns and other permanent damage if you come into contact with it.
If lead acid batteries are misunderstood, their primary component, lead, is feared and maligned. Too much lead exposure can cause serious health damage in adults and impair intellectual development in children. Over exposure to lead from leaded gasoline, lead-based paint, improperly glazed pottery and contaminated soil has been called one of the greatest dangers to children today, and we should be vigilant in protecting them from too much of it.
Because lead acid batteries contain lead, lead compounds and sulfuric acid, they are hazardous waste. And they are still hazardous wastes even when drained of acid because they still contain lead. Lead compounds can be absorbed through ingestion and inhalation. Moreover, lead is an acutely and chronically toxic compound, and is also highly toxic to fish, other animals and plants. Acid is corrosive which may hurt you and damage your skin if it touches you.
Unfortunately, battery recycling is not a public utility and scrap batteries are only recycled because it is profitable for the secondary non-ferrous industry to do so. Anyway, the lead acid battery is all recyclable to a lesser or greater extent. This only means, however, that a battery can be recycled after it is spent. The battery itself does nothing to close the recycling loop if it is not recycled, but we, our governments or our industries can ensure that they enter the loop by creating an infrastructure that will promote and facilitate recycling.
We help reduce health risks and preserve the earth’s environment and ecosystems by recycling lead-acid batteries safely. Reclaiming resources not only protects the planet, but also saves energy and preserves our raw materials.
Source: www.leoch.com