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The circular economy is a model of consumption and production, the purpose of which is to keep the product and waste in circulation for as long as possible. It is multiple processing and reuse of materials and raw materials from the production process and minimizing waste. Recycling is becoming one of the most important ways to implement the assumptions of the Circular Economy. And the recycling of lead-acid batteries is an ideal example to follow and look for your own solutions for the use of waste.
The Eurostat report published for the years 2009-2019 shows that Poland manages to collect as much as 72.6% of used batteries and this is the second result in Europe. The first place (90.9%) belongs to much smaller Croatia, while the European average is 51.3%. Such a good result is the result of changes in the act, the introduction of a deposit fee together with the need to return a used battery when buying a new one. A used battery has become a valuable commodity from which up to 99% of its components can be recovered and recycled, making it the most recyclable product in the world.
What is made of the battery?
Simply put - new batteries. We can extract three main components and raw materials from a used battery, which are then recycled.The first group includes components made of polypropylene, i.e. housings, lids and their elements, i.e. overlays, ramps, flaps. From the used materials, the so-called polypropylene chips used for the production of regranulate, from which new casings and lids are then made. In this way, only black is obtained, the most popular color in the range of batteries.
The second material reused in the battery production process is the basic raw material, which is lead. In the smelter, elements made of lead are melted and formed into about 40 kg of lead ingots. Ready ingots are melted or rubbed to obtain a powder, i.e. lead oxide - the main component of the battery paste. In addition, they are also used to make bridges, posts and other lead parts that can be found in the battery.
Production plants use recycled components in everyday production. Polish producers of lead-acid batteries obtain almost 80% of their new product based on recycled materials.
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Waste_statistics_-_recycling_of_batteries_and_accumulators
