Phasing out Lead-acid Batteries [RE-wrenches]

Tue Sep 2 04:43:33 PDT 2003

Hi Allen, Couple of points, the 300 million pds of lead is this lead oxide
or lead ?
Ref recovery and safe management CMP Batteries part of the original Chloride
Co. recover 98%  of materials. Lead is filtered from the acid. So the lead
in your battery was probably mined 200 years ago.
I don't think they use recycled paper to write the bill on
Clive
.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allan Sindelar" <allan at positiveenergysolar.com>
To: "New wrenches posting" <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 8:16 PM
Subject: Phasing out Lead-acid Batteries [RE-wrenches]


> Fellow Wrenches,
> Here's something we might want to keep on our long-term radar, as we use,
> sell, and recycle a lot of lead-acid batteries. This came some weeks ago
on
> the e-mail newsletter of the Clean Car Campaign of Environmental Defense.
> They have initiated a campaign to phase out lead-acid batteries in cars.
>
> What follows is text of the original message post, followed by a response
I
> sent to them questioning their campaign, and finally their explanatory
> response I received a few days ago.
>
> All said, I'm not taking a position one way or another on this. I see both
> sides. I suspect that this is another area where our industry will look
very
> different in a decade.
>
> Allan at Positive Energy
> Santa Fe, NM
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Environmental Defense
>   Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 8:04 AM
>   Subject: Tell automakers to get the lead out
>
>   Dear Allan,
>
>   Lead has been banned from paint and gasoline for decades because it is
one
> of the most harmful chemicals known. Cars and light trucks contain most of
> the lead used today, posing a continuing threat to children's health. Tell
> automakers and battery manufacturers to get the lead out.
>
>
>   Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Automakers and Car
> Battery Manufacturers
>
>
>   Below is the sample letter:
>
>   Subject: Phase out lead content in cars and car batteries
>
>
>   Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
>
>
>   Please phase out the use of lead in America's cars and trucks, and in
car
> batteries, by using and developing safer alternatives.
>
>
>   Every year, the auto industry in North America is responsible for the
> release or transfer of 300 million pounds of lead, a metal so toxic that
its
> use in consumer products such as gasoline and paint was banned decades
ago.
> Children are most vulnerable to lead's effects, which include brain
damage,
> learning disorders, and behavioral problems.
>
>
>   A single car component, the lead-acid battery, accounts for 57% of the
> world's lead use today.  I urge you to phase out the use of lead in
> batteries in favor of safer alternatives.
>
>
>   Finally, I urge automakers to eliminate other sources of lead in
vehicles.
> For example, auto designers should substitute tin or steel for lead in
wheel
> weights, and switch to lead-free solder.
>
>
>   Removing lead from cars and car batteries will protect our children and
> our environment.
>
>
>   I urge you to phase out the use of lead-acid batteries, and implement in
> North America the lead phase-out requirements outlined in the European
> Union's End-of-Life Vehicle Directive.  During a transition to lead-free
> cars and trucks, I also urge you to take responsibility for recovering and
> safely managing lead used in your products.
>
>
>   Thank you.
>
>
>   Sincerely,
>
>
> My response to them:
> This is bogus. Some 97% of batteries are recycled, or so I
> thought--batteries are one of recycling's success stories. Also, I work in
> the renewable energy/solar electric power field. We use a lot of lead-acid
> batteries for off-grid homes. Our recycling rate for old batteries is
> somewhere around 100%. Are we supposed to find safer alternatives too?
> If so, can you please suggest one?
>
> Please reply to this. Thanks.
> Allan Sindelar, president
> Positive Energy
> www.positiveenergysolar.com
>
> And their response:
>
> From: <kthomas at environmentaldefense.org>
> Sent: Friday, August 29, 2003 11:56 AM
> Subject: Lead in Cars Action Alert comments
>
>
> > Dear Allan Sindelar:
> >
> > Thank you for your interest in our Lead in Cars Action Alert.  We would
> > like to provide some additional information on the two points you
raised -
> > - the high rate of recycling of lead acid batteries and the availability
> of
> > alternatives for automotive and other uses.  If you have any further
> > questions for us, please feel free to send us an email.
> >
> > Many lead acid batteries are recycled:
> >
> > Using the most recent information available at the time of our research,
> > our report assumed that 93% of lead-acid auto batteries are recycled.
The
> > rate over time is sometimes lower and sometimes higher than this figure.
> > We agree that the auto battery recycling rate is impressive, but
conclude
> > that even a small percentage of batteries that are not recycled can be
> > environmentally significant due to the large amount of lead used in an
> auto
> > battery and the massive volumes of auto batteries in commerce.
> >
> > Our report concludes that over 40,000 metric tons/year of lead enters
the
> > wastestream from auto batteries that are not recycled.  Most batteries
> that
> > are not recycled are landfilled or illegally dumped and may result in
> > contamination of soil and water (or air, if incinerated).
> >
> > Also important to our view is that  the process of recycling lead
> batteries
> > contributes to emissions from smelters.  Secondary lead production for
> > automotive applications is responsible for over 6,000 metric tons/year
of
> > reported lead releases and transfers.
> >
> >
> > Battery alternatives - performance, environmental impacts, cost:
> >
> > Our report did not investigate alternatives to the lead acid battery for
> > uses other than in autos.  However, by targeting the largest users of
lead
> > acid batteries, the automotive industry, we intend to move forward
> > resesarch and commercialization of alternative battery technologies,
which
> > would ultimately benefit other battery users as well, such as the
> renewable
> > energy industry.
> >
> > Alternative automotive battery technology is an area of intense
research.
> > The Department of Energy (Office of Transportation Technologies --
Office
> > of Advanced Automotive Technologies), Lawrence Berkeley National Lab,
> > Argonne National Lab, US Council for Automotive Resarch (US Advanced
> > Battery Consortium) and UC Davis (Institute of Transportation Studies)
are
> > among the many groups working on this complex issue.
> >
> > Electrical demands in new vehicles are increasing due to changing needs,
> > including entertainment and information-access devices.  To meet these
> > needs, manufacturers are moving to higher volatage systems, such as 24-,
> > 36- and 42-volt systems.  The standard 12 volt lead acid battery will
not
> > meet these needs and even advanced lead acid batteries are challenged to
> > satisfy the high voltage requirements due to weight and specific energy
> > limitations.  The time is right to encourage the research and use of
> > battery systems that decrease the use of lead acid batteries,
eliminating
> > their use over time.
> >
> > Our research identified nickel-metal-hydride and lithium ion battery
> > systems as possible alternatives to the lead acid battery for automotive
> > uses.  Nickel-metal-hydride batteries are already being used in high
> > voltage battery systems in electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.
Lithium
> > ion batteries are also emerging in automotive  uses, such as the Federal
> > Express deisel hybrid delivery vehicle.
> >
> > Environmental impacts of alternatives
> > Nickel-metal-hydride batteries are certainly not environmentally benign,
> > and nickel production is a health concern.  However, life cycle
assessment
> > research has rated nickel-metal-hydride batteries as environmentally
> > preferable to lead acid batteries.  (For example, see Environmental
> Science
> > and Technology, January 1, 1998, pp. 40A-46A, "An Abridged Life Cycle
> > Assessment of Electric Vehicle Batteries.") Lithium has less toxicity
> > concern than either lead or nickel, and safety concerns over the use of
> > lithium have been addressed in the lithium-ion battery formulation.
> >
> > Our recommendations acknowledge the need for a transition plan on the
way
> > to a 10-year phase out of lead, which should include further work on
> > comparative health impacts of the batteries.
> >
> > Cost
> > The auto industry is already moving toward more expensive 42V battery
> > systems for performance reasons; the question is whether they will place
a
> > priority on batteries that avoid the use of lead.  Our analysis shows
that
> > at commercial volumes, nickel metal hydride batteries could cost roughly
> > the same as current lead-acid batteries if their longer life is taken
into
> > account, while also weighing less and taking up less space.  With a
> > comprehensive transition plan to develop and commercialize alternative
> > batteries, consumers may simply get better performing batteries at
similar
> > cost.  Automakers need a clear signal that lead-free alternatives must
be
> > further refined and brought to market in higher volumes to achieve
> > economies of scale.
> >
> > For additional information about the performance benefits of the
> > alternatives, see our "Alternative to Lead Acid Starter Batteries,"
> >
>
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/2894_FactSheet_batteryalts.pdf
>
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