Spent lead-acid batteries are not ordinary waste. As lead-containing hazardous waste, their standardized recycling can not only avoid pollution but also realize resource recycling. In fact, the common spent lead-acid batteries in daily life are mainly divided into the following categories, each with an exclusive recycling path.
Classified by Application Scenarios: Covering Daily Life and Industry
- Power-type: The core power source for electric bicycles and low-speed electric vehicles. With thick plates and excellent cycle resistance, they will be prioritized for residual capacity testing during recycling. Those that meet the requirements can be secondarily used for energy storage.
- Starting-type: The starting batteries for cars and motorcycles, featuring strong short-time discharge capacity and high electrolyte proportion. The focus of recycling is to prevent leakage and centrally extract lead and sulfuric acid.
- Stationary-type: UPS backup batteries for communication base stations and data centers, mostly sealed or colloidal types with a compact structure. They need professional dismantling after overall power-off.
- Energy storage-type: Batteries used in solar and wind energy storage systems, existing in the form of large-capacity battery packs. After dismantling, it is necessary to separately process the single batteries and electronic components.
Classified by Recycling Value: Maximizing Resource Utilization
- Second-life usable batteries: Batteries with residual capacity ≥ 60% and intact casings can be reused in low-demand scenarios such as backup power supplies after repair and testing.
- End-of-life dismantled batteries: Batteries with severely corroded plates and significant capacity attenuation can have lead, plastic, and electrolyte separated by automated equipment, achieving a resource utilization rate of over 90%.
Every spent lead-acid battery is a "mobile resource bank". Lead can be purified into recycled lead, plastic casings can be made into new components, and electrolyte can also be turned from waste into treasure. Choosing qualified recycling channels to let these batteries complete a green closed-loop not only protects the environment but also brings reasonable returns. Why not take action?
