Introduction
Battery recycling is an essential process for sustainable waste management, as these products contain hazardous chemicals that can cause significant damage to the environment and human health if not handled properly. Batteries are a common source of energy for numerous electronic devices and, due to their high demand, their use and disposal have increased exponentially in recent decades.
When these products reach the end of their useful life, it is crucial to prevent them from ending up in landfills, where their toxic components, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and lithium, can leach into the soil and contaminate water sources. Recycling not only minimizes environmental impact, but also allows the recovery of valuable materials that can be reused in the manufacture of new batteries or other electronic products. This reduces the need to extract virgin raw materials, helping to conserve natural resources and reduce carbon emissions associated with mining and the production of new materials. Promoting the collection and proper recycling of batteries is therefore a shared responsibility between governments, businesses and consumers, as part of a global commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.
Likewise, it is also vitally important to recycle oil, since a single liter of oil can contaminate up to 1000 liters of seawater, with cooking oil being one of the main water polluters. In addition, recycling oil reduces the risk of clogging in piping systems, since, when it is disposed of down the sink, it adheres to the walls, hardening and causing blockages.
Hardware
The recycling of electronic components, also known as electronic waste recycling or e-waste, is essential due to the environmental problems generated by this waste. The importance of this type of recycling could be based on several key areas:
- Environmental risk reduction: E-waste contains hazardous substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium, which, if not properly treated, can contaminate soil, water and air, posing a threat to the ecosystem.
- Conservation of natural resources: Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold, silver and copper, which can be recovered and reused. Recycling these materials reduces the need to extract new natural resources, with the energy expenditure involved in mining.
- Decrease of waste in landfills: By recycling, a huge amount of electronic waste would be avoided in landfills, where it takes hundreds of years to degrade, apart from the use of space for it.
- Compliance with environmental regulations: There are international regulations governing the management of electronic waste. Promoting these regulations would oblige both companies and individuals to take proper care of their e-waste.
Batteries and Battery Packs
According to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, in 2022, the world generated approximately 62 million tons of e-waste, of which only 22% was recycled.
In Europe, although the level of recycling is higher than the world average (42.8% in 2022), waste generation continues to be a problem, with a rate of 17.6 kg of e-waste per inhabitant, the highest worldwide. Spain has begun to improve the management of battery waste. Companies such as Iberdrola together with the FCC group and Glencore are developing solutions to recycle electric vehicle batteries, and it is expected that by 2035 around thirty-five thousand metric tons of batteries will be collected on the Peninsula.
Cells and batteries can be classified as primary (disposable) and secondary (rechargeable). Primary batteries have an irreversible chemical reaction and, once depleted, cannot be recharged again, such as zinc-carbon and silver oxide batteries, among others. On the other hand, secondary batteries do have reversible chemical reactions that allow several charge and discharge cycles, some examples are lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries.
If we stop to compare primaries with secondaries, the latter have proven to be far superior to primaries, offering key advantages in terms of sustainability and performance. Primaries have a much reduced life cycle compared to the rechargeability of secondaries, extending the life of the cells and batteries. This not only reduces the environmental impact, but also reduces the use of natural resources for their production, as components such as lithium and cobalt can be used in new devices. A point in favor of primary batteries is their initial cost, which is significantly lower, but in the long term, secondary batteries are more economical, since their durability eliminates the need to replace them frequently, benefiting consumers.
The evolution of batteries over time has been remarkable. From lead-acid batteries, with a useful life of a few charge cycles, to the current lithium-ion batteries, which exceed two thousand cycles, and are expected to reach five thousand in the near future. Solid-state batteries are currently being studied in depth, which offer higher energy density, greater safety and less dependence on materials that are difficult to obtain.
Renewable energy storage and electric vehicles have led to the evolution of secondary batteries in response to the demands of efficiency, sustainability and safety, favoring the global energy transition and encouraging research into cleaner and longer-lasting alternatives.
Oil
As mentioned in the introduction, used cooking oil is highly polluting for water, since a single liter of oil can contaminate up to a thousand liters of seawater, hindering biodiversity in water bodies.
Ignorance of the problem is another aggravating factor, since in countries such as Peru, where the culture of recycling is less widespread, people can make a bad disposal of oil by throwing it down the sink, for example, which we already know is very harmful both for the plumbing system and for the water that is contaminated with the oil. For this reason it is of vital importance to raise awareness on these issues, as sometimes it could be simply mistakes due to ignorance of how harmful it is.
Finally, recycled oil can be used to create other products such as hand soap, which is very useful to take advantage of the oil left over in the kitchen and also use it to manufacture a product that we would otherwise have to buy at the supermarket. The purchase of a supermarket soap would have a larger environmental footprint, since not only the pollution generated by the manufacture of the product would have to be included, but also the emissions generated by its transportation or the waste of plastic for packaging.
Puntos limpios en Sevilla
Conclusion
Recycling seeks to reintroduce waste materials into the production cycle, avoiding environmental contamination and taking advantage of metals that are valuable to industry, such as zinc and manganese, and precious lithium. These metals, together with others such as mercury and cadmium, represent serious risks of soil and water contamination.
Secondary batteries should be the alternative to primary batteries, not only because of their recharge capacity and greater durability, but also because of their lower environmental impact and advances in technology. This evolution drives safer and more responsible energy solutions.
On the other hand, there is the recycling of used oil. The recycling of used oil is essential for our water systems. By recycling we promote the circular economy, maintaining the use of these materials for as long as possible, benefiting both the community and the planet.
References
Hernández, O. E., Torres, J. E., & Gasca, G. A. (2014). Reciclaje de pilas y extracción de metales. In SOMI XXIX Congreso de Instrumentación.
Pérez, R. H. RECICLAJE DE PILAS Y BATERÍAS USADAS. PARTE 1: ESTUDIO ESTADÍSTICO. Evaluación de la calidad del agua de lluvia en el municipio de Atlixco, Puebla…………………….. 2 Utilización de un residuo de MnCO 3 proveniente de un proceso metalúrgico para el tratamiento.
Naranjo, F. P. B., Pico, M. A. P., Alberto, G. E. F. V. F., & Calderón, C. (2019). Tecnología 2.0 y la cultura de reciclaje electrónico en UNIANDES Ambato. Dilemas contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores.
De la Cruz Díaz, A. A. (2018). Campaña de concientización sobre el reciclaje de aceite de cocina usado y el aprendizaje significativo en mujeres de 40 a 50 años de 3 sedes de Casa de la Mujer en Los Olivos-Lima, 2017.
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