What would the world look like without lead batteries? February 18 was National Battery Day, and to increase awareness on lead batteries, Battery Council International (BCI) released a video featuring the recycling of a lead battery's primary components: lead, plastic and acid. According to figures provided in an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, 99% of lead batteries are recycled, making them the most recycled consumer good in the United States. The new BCI video details the process a used battery undergoes once it is returned to the retailer.

"The lead, plastic and acid are isolated from one another at an EPA regulated facility, and through a multi-step recycling process, these components become new lead batteries. This unique process allows consumers to purchase a product that is both economically and environmentally favorable," says Mark Thorsby, Executive Vice President of BCI.

Lead batteries serve many purposes. The most well-known purpose is to start vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, lawn and garden equipment, snow and water sport vehicles, motorcycles and golf carts. But, lead batteries also make possible the "start-stop" vehicle control systems that are helping vehicle manufacturers meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards and reduce air emissions. Additionally, lead batteries play a crucial role in supplying backup power for cell phone towers, hospitals and data storage servers.

While lead batteries are over 150 years old, their ability to be efficiently recycled into the same, useful product has cemented their place in the energy storage world.

Battery Council International | www.batterycouncil.org