Are Recycled Electric Car Batteries Turning Into A Market?
Some are concerned that the lithium-ion car batteries used in electric cars will become new litter when they reach the end of their automotive life cycle. According to Green Car Reports, this concern has been raised over upcoming vehicles like the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 2011 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Since lithium-ion packs retain a lot of energy capacity after they can’t operate a car any longer, potential for recycling the batteries remains.
Recycling electric car batteries might create a large green industry
By the end of the current decade, as predicted by Scientific American, recycling lithium-ion electric car batteries could help provide “energy accumulators for photovoltaic solar panels or wind turbines.” Keeping with America’s green goals, that can be translated into power that can be stored, generated, and used all in the same place. An infrastructure for the electric car battery recycling industry should be built up, but Green Car Reports suggests following the lead of the lead-acid car battery recycling industry that’s already in place.
Most recycled batteries in the world: 12-Volt lead-acid car batteries
That’s what Scientific American reports, and considering that 70 million or more cars are built each year with lead-acid batteries under the hood, that makes sense. The US Environmental Protection Agency also holds to this. Their records indicate that 100 million lead-acid car batteries are turned in each year, and 99 percent of those are recycled. About 97 percent of the lead is recyclable, while the sulfuric acid can be turned into sodium sulfate, which is used in fertilizer and dyes. Plastic cases can also be recycled easily, but the tricky part is the acid. The Blacksmith Institute says the waste product produced if a lead-acid battery is not dismantled properly contributes to one of Earth’s 10 worst pollutants. Thankfully, lithium-ion electric car batteries are “essentially non-toxic,” writes Green Car Reports.
Toyota has the right idea
Despite the massive difficulties being had by the Japanese automaker has experienced due to sudden acceleration problems, Toyota is actually among the leaders in being prepared for the upcoming lithium-ion electric car battery recycling industry. The Prius hybrid and its popularity is where most of this comes from.
Sources in the article
http://www.pollutedplaces.org/projects/industries/battery
http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2008rpt.pdf
http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1044372_who-knew-a-car-battery-is-the-worlds-most-recycled-product
http://www.greencarreports.com/review/1044281_first-drive-2012-toyota-prius-plug-in-hybrid/
http://www.collegecarguide.com/make/chevrolet,new
http://www.allcarselectric.com/overview/nissan_leaf_2011
