People who are worried about the “health” of our planet pay special attention to waste disposal. Moreover, it can be very different: for example, food, recyclable, renewable. Extremely hazardous waste exists. These include the most ordinary batteries! The harm from them is simply enormous, and therefore they have no place among other things garbage. We suggest talking about how much damage these little helpers can cause to nature. We will give useful tips for recycling and minimizing the harm done by batteries!
What are batteries
Batteries are an integral part of the life of almost every person. It is on them that the work of cell phones, laptops, and various children's toys is based. In addition, they provide the operation of devices operating from the network during a power outage.
Batteries are dry, lithium, alkaline. Despite the apparent external simplicity, these small self-contained power supplies are quite complicated. A pasty electrolyte, a depolarizing mixture, a graphite rod are hidden under a metal case. It is extremely difficult to imagine the harm from batteries to the environment, especially from the substances contained in used batteries.
Chemical composition
What is included in spent batteries? They contain lead, tin, magnesium, mercury, nickel, zinc and cadmium. All these toxic elements cause irreparable harm - both to human health and the environment!
Statistics
Scientists from different countries have calculated: one finger-type battery that was discharged in a forest or park zone can pollute twenty square meters of land or 400 liters of water! But this is far from all the consequences. Separately, it is worth mentioning that when the batteries are burned, they emit dioxins that poison the air. These dioxins can travel for kilometers!
Scientists call these weapons of mass destruction. Environmentalists were able to calculate exactly what a habit can turn into, throw out power sources. There is even a specific digital expression of the harm caused by finger batteries: one such device can cause two trees to not grow, several thousand earthworms that make the soil fertile, several families of hedgehogs and moles will die! Although batteries make up only 0.25% of all waste, they account for at least 50% of the toxic metals in the garbage.
Research results say: in one year, the Russian family uses 18.8 batteries. That is, an average of 6.96 batteries per person. And at the dumps of Moscow alone, more than 15 million autonomous power sources are annually! Throwing batteries along with other waste, people do not even suspect what damage they do to the environment! Destroyed batteries emit heavy metals that penetrate groundwater.
Contaminated water is used for watering plants, animals drink it, fish live in this water. Together with all this, toxins get to our table!
Harm to humans
You should not be afraid of new batteries. But the used power sources are fraught with a lot of dangers! What harm do batteries bring to humans? The alkalis that make up this device are able to burn through the mucous membranes and skin, cadmium causes significant damage to the kidneys and lungs. Lead contained in spent batteries is generally a “record holder” in the number of troubles that it can cause: blood cells die from it, it affects the liver and kidneys, and causes irreparable harm to the nervous system and bone tissues! Mercury has a negative effect on the respiratory system, and zinc and nickel damage the brain!
All these toxic elements accumulate in the human body, leading even to reproductive and oncological diseases.
Harm for children
Used batteries are especially harmful to children. After all, it is children who actively learn the world, and, more often than not, they do this by stuffing objects in their mouths.
Now imagine what could happen if a baby puts an inoperative battery into his mouth. Of course, a chemical reaction will begin, which can lead to irreparable consequences. In addition, exhausted batteries begin to “leak” over time, that is, hazardous contents leak out, causing chemical burns to the skin.
How to reduce the environmental impact of batteries?
There are ways to prevent an environmental disaster. For example, the researchers say, you can buy batteries that can be recharged. In addition, there are batteries that do not include mercury and cadmium, which means that the environmental impact of batteries is significantly reduced.
And it’s better to completely abandon the equipment for which such power sources are needed. It is worth making a choice in favor of devices operating from the network, at a manual factory or from alternative sources.
How are they?
Every year, residents of the European Union consume 160 thousand batteries for domestic use. In all countries of the European Union, as well as in the United States of America and Canada, there are a huge number of collection points for used batteries. In New York, there is a law that prohibits the disposal of waste batteries in the trash.
Since the harm of batteries is scientifically proven, manufacturers and large stores in the EU that sell batteries must always accept used devices. Otherwise, the authorities oblige organizations to pay a fine of $ 5,000. By the way, the percentage for recycling is initially included in the price of the battery, and the buyer who passes it gets a discount on a new one!
Knowing how harmful the batteries are to the environment, the Japanese simply collect these power supplies and store them until the optimal recycling technology appears!
Disposal in Russia
In our country, everything is not so rosy. If a person who knows about the dangers of batteries decides to dispose of them, he will have to spend a lot of time looking for a reception point. Even in the capital there are not so many of them, let alone small towns.
Despite the fact that there is no state control in this area, volunteers establish collection points for used batteries. Attract to recycling and schoolchildren. Educators and children are working on projects about the dangers of batteries.
How to dispose of properly?
Once again, changing the batteries in the player, remote control or toy, do not rush to the bin. Wrap the batteries in paper and be sure to put them in the bag. Do not save a large number of batteries, find a collection point and take them there.
There is another interesting opportunity to dispose of harmful batteries: take the initiative and organize their collection right in your home! Prepare the box, place an ad next to it - perhaps the neighbors will follow your example. Then you need to call the management company - they must take the used batteries to the collection points.
What happens to the batteries next?
After the batteries have been assembled, the recycling process begins. Usually it consists of several stages. For example, processing products with lead recovery consists of 4 stages.
The batteries are loaded into a large tank, from where they get into a concrete well via a conveyor belt . Above this well is a large electromagnet that attracts excess scrap metal. The bottom of the well is a grid, this is how the electrolyte can drain into a special container. After the separation of materials begins. This is done using water dust, which is supplied at a pressure of several tens of atmospheres. Small elements and plastic settle in a separate tank, and the mechanical bucket places large parts of the batteries in caustic soda, turning them into lead paste.
The third stage is the melting of lead to a liquid state. The final part of the processing process is refining. The result is two components — lead alloys and refined lead. Alloys are usually sent directly to plants, and specialists pour ingots from refined metal that are equivalent in quality to those produced from mined ore.