eCycling.com

Batteries to this day from 250 years ago when first created are still one of the most expensive energy sources. That is why it is essential that the materials used to create them are extracted to be recycled We not only recycle the precious materials, but dispose the hazardous ones properly too. Used batteries contribute the problem of e-waste “Electronic Waste”. If even a watch battery is swallowed by a bird or other animal, then that could prove to be fatal for the animal or sickened for a long period of time. Some batteries contain harmful elements such as lead, cadmium, and mercury.

Disposable Batteries I should be Aware of

1. Zinc-Carbon Battery: mid cost, used in light drain applications.
2. Zinc-Chloride Battery: similar to zinc-carbon but slightly longer life.
3. Alkaline Battery: alkaline/manganese "long life" batteries widely used in both light-drain and heavy-drain applications.
4. Silver-Oxide Battery: commonly used in hearing aids, watches, and calculators.
5. Lithium Iron Disulfide Battery: commonly used in digital cameras. Sometimes used in watches and computer clocks. Very long life (up to ten years in wristwatches) and capable of delivering high currents but expensive. Will operate in sub-zero temperatures.
6. Lithium-Thionyl Chloride Battery: used in industrial applications, including computers, electric meters and other devices which contain volatile memory circuits and act as a "carryover" voltage to maintain the memory in the event of a main power failure. Other applications include providing power for wireless gas and water meters. The cells are rated at 3.6 Volts and come in 1/2AA, AA, 2/3A, A, C, D & DD sizes. They are relatively expensive, but have a long shelf life, losing less than 10% of their capacity in ten years.
7. Mercury Battery: formerly used in digital watches, radio communications, and portable electronic instruments. Manufactured only for specialist applications due to toxicity.
8. Zinc-Air Battery: commonly used in hearing aids.
9. Thermal Battery: high-temperature reserve. Almost exclusively military applications.
10. Water-Activated Battery: used for radiosondes and emergency applications.
11. Nickel Oxyhydroxide Battery: Ideal for applications that use bursts of high current, such as digital cameras. They will last two times longer than alkaline batteries in digital cameras.
12. Paper Battery: In August 2007, a research team at RPI (led by Drs. Robert Linhardt, Pulickel M. Ajayan, and Omkaram Nalamasu) developed a paper battery with aligned carbon nanotubes, designed to function as both a lithium-ion battery and a supercapacitor, using ionic liquid, essentially a liquid salt, as electrolyte. The sheets can be rolled, twisted, folded, or cut into numerous shapes with no loss of integrity or efficiency, or stacked, like printer paper (or a voltaic pile), to boost total output. As well, they can be made in a variety of sizes, from postage stamp to broadsheet. Their light weight and low cost make them attractive for portable electronics, aircraft, and automobiles, while their ability to use electrolytes in blood make them potentially useful for medical devices such as pacemakers. In addition, they are biodegradable, unlike most other disposable cells.

Rechargeable Batteries I should be Using

1. Nickel-cadmium battery (NiCd): Best used for motorized equipment and other high-discharge, short-term devices. NiCd batteries can withstand even more drain than NiMH; however, the mAh rating is not high enough to keep a device running for very long, and the memory effect is far more severe.
2. Nickel-metal hydride battery (NiMH): Best used for high-tech devices. NiMH batteries can last up to four times longer than alkaline batteries because NiMH can withstand high current for a long while.
3. Rechargeable alkaline battery: Uses similar chemistry as non-rechargeable alkaline batteries and are best suited for similar applications. Additionally, they hold their charge for years, unlike NiCd and NiMH batteries.
4. Flow batteries are a special class of rechargeable battery where additional quantities of electrolyte are stored outside the main power cell of the battery, and circulated through it by pumps or by movement. Flow batteries can have extremely large capacities and are used in marine applications and are gaining popularity in grid energy storage applications. Zinc-bromine and vanadium redox batteries are typical examples of commercially available flow batteries.