Environmental impacts battery composition

Antimony battery grids, composition, 3 52t Antimony bromide sulfide, 3 63 Antimony chloride oxide, 3 62t Antimony compounds, 3 56-87 analysis, 3 80-81 environmental impact, 3 81 health and safety factors, 3 81 inorganic, 3 57-67, 62t organoantimony compounds, 3 67—80... 

Total life cycle analyses may be utilized to establish the relative environmental and human health impacts of battery systems over their entire lifetime, from the production of the raw materials to the ultimate disposal of the spent battery. The three most important factors determining the total life cycle impact appear to be battery composition, battery performance, and the degree to which spent batteries are recycled after their useful lifetime. This assessment examines both rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, and includes lead acid, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion, carbon zinc and alkaline manganese batteries. 

Obviously, the first and most important factor in the inventory analysis stage is the overall composition of the battery system. Technically, a life cycle analysis can only be specifically performed on a specific battery composition, and there is often great variety in the compositions for batteries that nominally all belong to the same family. In addition, a rigorous life cycle analysis should consider every material in the battery, no matter how minute the environmental impacts may appear to be. The tendency in most life cycle analyses on battery systems to date has been to concentrate on the hazardous materials or heavy metals contained in those batteries while ignoring contributions which may arise from greater amounts of less high-profile substances. For example, life... 

Figure 7. The Effects of Recycling, Performance and Composition on the Environmental Impact Values for AA-Sized NiCd Batteries...

In a life cycle impact analysis of battery systems, regardless of composition, performance and whether or not they are rechargeable, it is clearly the final disposal of the battery which determines its major environmental and human health impact. The... 

---