Automotive Battery Recycling Identification and Cross Contamination Prevention J3071_201604

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4271/J3071_201604

Issuing Committee: Battery Standards Recycling Committee

Publisher: SAE International

Pages: 11

Rationale: Automotive manufacturers and other industries are increasingly reliant on energy storage technologies other than lead acid batteries. The introduction of these other energy storage technologies into the existing used lead acid battery (ULAB) waste and recycling stream presents challenges to recyclers that will require development of universal mechanisms for sorting the different technologies to prevent safety and environmental hazards, cross contamination, regulatory noncompliance, and negative economic impact to manufacturers and recyclers. To complicate the situation, some of these batteries may be packaged in similar or identical form factors and may even contain multiple technologies/chemistries within a single package. It is also recognised that batteries entering the waste stream may be partly dismantled or whole, presenting the recycler with a wide variety of forms of battery casings, parts, and combinations of chemistries. Methods developed for addressing these issues will also need to consider legacy energy storage systems that may end up in the waste and recycling stream.