The only battery recycling plant in Russia has resumed operations. Money from trash: how much you can earn from old batteries

Batteries that have failed and thrown away with general trash, as well as mercury lamps and Appliances pose a serious threat to human health and environment.

Mercury vapor contained in energy saving lamps and lamps daylight, as well as nickel, lead and others Mercury

Metallic mercury is poison. According to the degree of impact on the human body, mercury belongs to the 1st hazard class - extremely hazardous substances. Only vapors and soluble mercury compounds are toxic. At a temperature of 18°C, intense evaporation of mercury into the atmosphere begins; inhalation of such air contributes to its accumulation in the body, from where it is no longer excreted (like other heavy metals). Mercury causes nervous disorders, impaired vision, hearing, musculoskeletal disorders, diseases respiratory system. Children are the most vulnerable. Regardless of the route of entry into the body, mercury accumulates in the kidneys.

However, in order to accumulate a significant amount of mercury in the body, it is necessary for several months or years to regularly stay in a room with a significant excess of the maximum permissible concentration of this substance in the air.

The concentration of mercury vapor, which can lead to severe chronic diseases, ranges from 0.001 to 0.005 mg/m3. At higher concentrations, mercury is absorbed by intact skin. Acute poisoning can occur at concentrations of 0.13–0.80 mg/m3. Fatal intoxication occurs when 2.5 grams of mercury vapor is inhaled.

Lead

Lead accumulates mainly in the kidneys. Causes brain diseases, nervous disorders, joint and muscle pain.

Cadmium

Cadmium accumulates in the liver, kidneys, bones and thyroid gland, provokes cancer.

">heavy metals contained in batteries can cause poisoning and serious chronic diseases. Just one AA battery thrown into the trash can contaminate approximately 20 square meters of soil or 400 liters of water with heavy metals.

Therefore, such waste must be handed over for neutralization and disposal to special items reception.

2. Where are used batteries accepted?

You can donate used batteries at environmental education centers of the Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection. Battery collection points:

• eco-center “Kuskovo” - 3rd Museumnaya street, building 40;
• eco-center “Sparrow Hills” - Andreevskaya embankment, building 1;
• eco-center “Horse Yard” - Metallurgov Street, building 41;
• eco-center “Tsarskaya Apiary” - Izmailovskaya Apiary village, building 1;
• ANO "OEC "Kuskovo" - Veshnyakovskaya street, building 1, building 3;
• directorate natural areas"Moskvoretsky" - Bolshaya Naberezhnaya street, building 19.

The batteries are sent for recycling, where heavy metals are removed from them. All recovered material is then reused for new batteries. This saves energy and raw materials and does not harm the environment or people.

3. Where are used mercury lamps accepted?

Waste mercury-containing lamps are accepted at management companies, from where they are sent for recycling.

The principle of recycling lamps is based on their destruction and separation into broken glass, scrap ferrous and non-ferrous metals and phosphor. The metal of the bases goes to recycling, and glass chips - for filling uneven roads. The small amount of mercury produced is converted to a safe solid state.

Battery disposal – urgent problem our society, which receives insufficient attention. In many innovative countries this problem has already been solved. However, a very small number of people in our country pay due attention to the disposal and recycling of harmful items of mass use. Every citizen needs to know about the importance of recycling batteries after use, their impact on the environment and human health.

Why recycle batteries?

The damage to batteries begins after they end up in the trash or are simply thrown out on the street. Environmentalists are outraged by people's irresponsibility towards their own health, as the deteriorating battery shell begins to release harmful substances, such as:

• mercury;
• lead;
• nickel;
• cadmium.

These chemical compounds when decomposed:

• enter the soil and groundwater;
• at a water supply station, harmful substances can be purified, but it is impossible to completely eliminate them from the liquid;
• the accumulated poison along with the water affects the fish and other river inhabitants that we eat;
• When burned in special recycling plants, batteries release more active chemicals, which enter the air and penetrate into plants and the lungs of animals and humans.

The greatest danger from burning or decomposing batteries is that as the chemical compounds accumulate in the human body, they increase the risk of developing oncological diseases, and also affect the health of the fetus during pregnancy.

Where should I put the batteries after use?

It is not possible to independently dispose of used material. In large cities of our country there are special collection points that accept batteries for recycling. Most often, collection points for used batteries are located in retail outlets. You can donate batteries at the large retail chain IKEA. Carrying one battery at a time to collection points is very inconvenient, so you can simply put them aside until you accumulate 20-30 pieces.

Recycling technology

Thanks to modern technologies Recycling one batch of batteries takes 4 days. Battery recycling includes the following general steps:

1. Initially occurs manual sorting raw materials depending on the type of battery.
2. In a special crusher, a batch of products is crushed.
3. The crushed material is fed to a magnetic line, which separates large elements from small ones.
4. Large parts are sent for re-crushing.
5. Small raw materials require a neutralization process.
6. Raw materials are separated into individual components.

The process of recycling the material itself is very expensive; it is carried out at large factories. Unfortunately, in the countries of the former Soviet Union There are very few factories for processing such a harmful product. There are special battery storage facilities, but for many years the premises are completely full.

Experience of European countries

In the European Union, the problem of battery disposal is not so acute. Almost every store and even enterprises have containers for collecting waste material. For processing plants, expenses for processing the material are provided in advance, so this cost is already included in the price of new products.

In the USA, collection points are located immediately in stores selling such goods. In the country, up to 65% of products are recycled annually; responsibility for this rests with distributors and sellers of goods. Battery manufacturers finance the recycling of the material. The most modern methods processing takes place in Japan and Australia.

Conclusion

Our society pays little attention to the problem of recycling batteries. One battery that is not recycled can damage 20 square meters of soil. Harmful chemicals enter the water that everyone uses through water supplies. In the absence of proper disposal, the likelihood of developing cancer and congenital pathologies increases. Each of us must take care of the health of the future generation and encourage the recycling of batteries after use.

Removal, processing and disposal of waste from hazard classes 1 to 5

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Batteries are an inexpensive power source that has wide application. They are used in remote controls, watches, portable electronics, digital technology and even children's toys. Batteries must be disposed of in accordance with sanitary standards, that is, in a specialized container. Each product is marked with a sign that it should not be thrown away with normal household waste. According to the most conservative estimates, every family has at least 1 dozen food sources.

Battery types

AA batteries look quite harmless. Even their small size makes it doubtful that recycling used batteries is necessary measure. To understand what is dangerous about these miniature power sources, as a result of which the recycling of batteries is a serious problem today, you should take a closer look at their structure and chemical composition.

The battery housing is absolutely safe. It is made of metal that completely insulates the contents as long as the shell does not corrode. The inner part is the container for dangerous chemical elements, which can be neutralized by recycling batteries. Each of them has an anode - zinc powder, which is impregnated with an electrolyte, and a cathode - magnesium dioxide mixed with titanium dioxide.

Products are classified depending on the electrolyte:

• Salt
• Alkaline (alkaline)
• Lithium
• Silver
• Mercury

Batteries can be made from various materials, but they contain at least 10 highly toxic chemical elements and dissolved heavy metals - lithium, mercury, lead, cadmium. Disposing of lithium and mercury power supplies in garbage bins for MSW is absolutely unacceptable.

The question of why batteries should not be thrown away with household waste is so relevant for a reason. One miniature AA battery contaminates an area of ​​20 m² of soil. Chemical substances not only pollute the soil, they seep into groundwater, evaporate in the air and gradually poison not only nature, but also the human body. In order not to pay for carelessness with your own health, nutritional elements must be taken to a waste battery collection point.

Why shouldn't you throw away used batteries?

It was already noted above why batteries are dangerous - due to their chemical composition. If the question arises of how to store batteries, the answer is clear - pack it tightly and take the used product to a collection point as soon as possible. To complete the picture, we should describe in detail the two main ways of poisoning nature that affect humans:

1. Over time, the cell's capacity degrades, resulting in the release of toxic substances into the environment, that is, into the soil and air. And through it, harmful components enter groundwater, and then into reservoirs, from where the liquid flows into our homes.
2. Yes, in landfills, batteries are burned, but the smoke containing dioxins does not disappear anywhere; it ends up in the air. All plant and animal world absorbs this smoke, and through them the poison enters the human body.

All poisons that enter the human body can cause severe cancer:

• Pathologies of the brain and central nervous system
• Tumors
• Deformation of the respiratory system
• Diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system

It is worth noting the fact that since the active use of lithium batteries, the number of diseases in the field of oncology has almost doubled according to the results of 2010. It is difficult to say whether this is a coincidence or not, but the fact remains a fact.

The conclusion from the above is that the battery should not be thrown into landfills for household waste. You don’t know what to do with used power supplies: they need to be taken to a battery collection point, from where they will never be released into the external environment again.

Reception point and its structure

Complete recycling of batteries in Russia, or rather a place where batteries could be sent for recycling to obtain raw materials that are suitable for reuse, became available not so long ago. In our country, this mission is carried out by only one enterprise - the Chelyabinsk plant for processing lithium batteries "Megapolisresurs". A battery collection container can be found in many electronics stores and supermarkets that have entered into an agreement with the factory.

Lately you can often find a reception point organized by social movement, that is, places where anyone can come and recycle a used battery.

Megapolisresurs

The largest collection point in Russia, where all used batteries are sent for recycling. The organization was founded in 2004, but the company began directly recycling batteries only in October 2013. To begin recycling batteries, the plant had to change its own technology for processing electronic waste.

The developers note that the efficiency of their invention reaches almost a maximum of 80%, which is 20% better than abroad. For example, in Germany the recycling efficiency does not exceed 60%. Currently the company cooperates with many large retail chains, installing collection bins in stores, and even has its own points in 24 cities of Russia. Each network has its own small battery collection point.

In 2013 the following was revised:

• Photo of waste - 1 million tons
• Electronic scrap - 500 tons
• Batteries - 3 tons

But Megapolisresurs is not going to stop there. Already in 2014, the organization attracted investments of more than 500 million rubles and is now organizing a full-fledged line for recycling spent batteries.

Various public organizations. They create a collection point, a special bin is installed in the courtyards, from where the recycled elements are subsequently sent to a battery recycling plant. Anyone can do something useful by installing a collection box in their entrance or at work. In this way, you not only show concern for the state of the environment, but also do everything possible to improve it.

Disposal procedure

With the opening of the recycling line at the Chelyabinsk plant, the question of how to properly dispose of power supplies can be considered partially resolved. Of course, on the scale of our country, just one plant is very small. But now there is confidence that recycling batteries will make it possible to neutralize at least part of the used batteries and direct the resulting resources to production needs.

How batteries are recycled - main steps:

1. Manual sorting allows you to distribute products according to their type
2. The container line delivers batteries to the crusher, where they are crushed
3. The resulting raw material falls under a magnetic tape, which separates the large elements of the metal case.
4. The remaining part is subjected to repeated crushing and iron separation
5. The resulting mass contains an electrolyte and requires a neutralization process
6. As a result of hydrometallurgical technologies, raw materials are separated into individual components and packaged.

Not all batteries are recycled. Some are subject to disposal at landfills. The country maintains a large number of batteries thrown into trash cans and then to landfills.

Opening a business based on recycling environmentally harmful waste is quite difficult due to the low development of this industry. Recycling requires significant financial investments, which are not reimbursed by the subsequent sale of recyclable materials, so battery recycling requires government funding.

Foreign experience in recycling batteries

In the European Union, the question of where batteries should be disposed of is not raised. Containers for batteries are located in all stores and institutions. The cost of new batteries initially includes a certain percentage, taking into account recycling, and when purchasing new products, the buyer can count on a discount if they hand over the old ones. In total, at least 40 operate in Europe processing enterprises, which recycle up to 45% of all chemical food sources.

• In the USA, there is a collection point where you can throw away used batteries at every store that sells them. The collection and processing of elements is the responsibility of sellers and distributors of the relevant products, and manufacturers are required to finance all necessary activities. The amount of batteries recycled annually in the United States is up to 60%.
• The most developed in Japan effective method recycling, so the batteries are currently being stored in warehouses in compliance with safety requirements.
• Australia has the highest rate of battery recycling - the amount of recycled batteries reaches 80%. Products that local businesses are unable to recycle themselves are sent to Europe.

Batteries are harmful to the environment. That is why some entrepreneurs are rushing to master this area and open profitable business. However, in Russia there are no appropriate conditions and state support for proactive citizens. We can only hope that recycling and battery collection will reach a new level in the near future.

Integrated cutting line for CRAB batteries with a capacity of 15,000 tons per year.

The CRAB 02 line is designed for processing automotive and industrial batteries with ebonite or polypropylene casings in order to extract individual fractions: metal lead, lead paste (lead concentrate), polypropylene (ebonite) and sulfuric acid.

Battery recycling equipment produced by Irismash LLC helps solve the problem of recycling old energy storage devices efficiently, with a minimum amount of waste. The battery cutting line includes various machines and units; all working mechanisms are made of stainless steel. The battery scrap is placed on a conveyor belt, along which it is then moved first to a shredder and then to a granulator. Having gone through these stages, the current sources are divided into fractions, which are sorted and sent further for additional processing. At the exit from the CRAB line for processing used batteries, lead paste, metal lead, ebonite, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride are obtained. Absolutely all of the listed materials can be used as goods or raw materials to create new products. Therefore, recycling a battery is not only a concern for the environment; if the recycling process is properly organized, recycling can bring significant profits to the company.

If your company needs a line for recycling recyclable materials, we invite you to cooperate. Ordering the necessary units from Irismash LLC is convenient due to the fact that our company offers customers the most complete range of services. The company has its own design bureau, production workshops with high-precision modern equipment, a technical control department for products, and our specialists install and commission ready-made battery processing lines. Employees of all listed departments are constantly in touch with each other. This allows you to control the quality of products and the accuracy of compliance with the customer’s specifications at all stages of production. Our technology is hopeful, effective, designed for long term operation. It turns battery recycling into a routine and profitable process. Don't miss the opportunity to get extra profit!