Most batteries can be recycled. However, some batteries are easier to recycle than others. For example, lead-acid batteries (nearly 90% are recycled) and button batteries (because they are highly toxic). There are also other types of batteries, such as alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries, including nickel-cadmium batteries (Ni-Cd)\nickel-metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH), lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion) and nickel-zinc batteries (Ni-Zn) that can be recycled.
Lead-acid batteries: Lead-acid batteries are mainly used in various automotive roads and are also used in uninterruptible power systems. The recycling method is to first squeeze them vigorously, then neutralize the acid, and then recover the polymer from the lead.
The recycled products have a variety of uses, including making new batteries. It is also possible to recover the highly toxic metal lead from the lead-acid batteries to prevent it from contaminating water sources.
Many cities have lead-acid battery recycling services. For example, in most states in the United States and most provinces in Canada, there are many people who take batteries to waste battery recycling stations to make money from them, and many sell them, and many places that sell batteries have battery recycling services (some are required by local governments or laws).
In the United States, the recycling rate of used lead-acid batteries has reached 97%. However, China has no corresponding policies to encourage people to recycle lead-acid batteries.
Silver ion batteries: This type of battery is mainly used in watches, toys and medical instruments. It contains a small amount of mercury. Recycling silver ion batteries can remove highly toxic mercury and avoid polluting the environment.
How to deal with used lithium batteries?
There are two main recycling methods for waste lithium batteries: pyrolysis and wet recycling. Pyrolysis mainly involves disassembly and high-temperature treatment, while wet recycling mainly involves chemical treatment, metal extraction, and conversion into oxides. "The former of these two methods is energy-intensive and highly polluting, while the latter is more polluting and has a longer process overall."