We rely on batteries for a variety of everyday tasks and without them, many of the items we use on a day-to-day basis would be powerless and therefore useless. But what happens when batteries inevitably run out and are replaced? How are they recycled?
To understand how batteries are recycled, we should first understand how they are made.
Batteries are made of a variety of raw materials, such as graphite, lithium nickel, cobalt and manganese, which are processed and refined via toll processing to make them into usable components.
The battery itself is made up of various components, including a container, cathode, anode, separator, electrodes, electrolyte and collector. These all work together doing different jobs in order to generate power and create the battery itself.
But with all these parts and several chemicals in the mix, it can be difficult to know how to dispose of batteries. The most important step you can take when getting rid of old batteries is to recycle them instead of just throwing them away.
This allows them to be recycled safely in a non-dangerous way that isn’t harmful to us and the environment.
When batteries are recycled, they are broken apart into their different components, drained and then separated into individual materials.
Some materials are then collected, melted down and reused to create new batteries, while the remaining battery acid is converted into industrial chemicals or water and disposed of safely.
Other materials in the battery are also extracted and reused, depending on the type of battery these materials can vary. Some batteries are difficult to recycle and reuse and are therefore just disposed of in a safe way.
Batteries are an important part of our lives and we heavily rely on them, however, they can also be extremely damaging to the environment if not properly destroyed so ensuring they are recycled is important for our safety.