P e r r y G o t t e s f e l d

O C C U P A T I O N A L K N O W L E D G E I N T E R N A T I O N A L

w w w . o k i n t e r n a t i o n a l . o r g

Future Challenges inBattery Recycling

Global Lead Poisoning Epidemic

• The World Health Organization estimates that 240 million people are overexposed and 99 % of those with blood levels above 20 µg/dl are in the developing world.

• Lead exposures account for 853,000 deaths annually vs. 852,000 for all other occupational risk factors (or 1.1 million AIDS related deaths).

• Greatest burden is in low and middle income countries.

LEAD POISONING

Children with Low Level exposures:

• IQ deficits, lower school performance, lower scores on standardized tests,

• Behavior problems,

• Hearing deficits,

Adults:

• High blood pressure linked to heart disease and stroke;

• Reproductive system effects include miscarriages, preterm deliveries, low birth weight, miscarriages, & stillbirths.

Recent Actions On Low Level Lead

• In 2012 CDC eliminated the “level of

concern” for children of 10 μg/dl and

adopted a reference value (5 μg/dl);

• 535,000 children in the U.S. have BLLs

exceeding the reference value;

• The National Toxicology Program (NTP) 2012:

“sufficient” evidence that blood lead levels

<10 μg/dL in adults are associated with

adverse cardiovascular function;

Recent Actions on OccupationalLead Poisoning Prevention

• U.S. CDC/NIOSH 2015 changed the case definition

for adults to level ≥5 μg/dL (“notifiable condition”).

• Cal-OSHA updating occupational lead standard:

• Proposed changing the airborne lead PEL from

50 μg/m3 to 2.1 μg/m3 (with goal to keep

workers blood lead level below 10 μg/dl).

• Proposed medical removal protection for

blood lead levels:• BLL ≥ 30 μg/dl; or

•Last 2 BLLs ≥ 20 μg/dl; or

•Avg. BLL in last 6 mos. ≥ 20 μg/dl ; or

•Final medical determination

• Washington State Labor & Industries

Global Mined Lead Production (1995-2014)

Source: U.S. Geological Survey “Lead 2015”

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/

2.500

3.000

3.500

4.000

4.500

5.000

5.500

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Millio

n T

on

s

Actual

Global Mined Lead Production

LEAD CONSUMPTION

https://www.lme.com/en-gb/metals/non-ferrous/lead/production-and-consumption/

85% into batteries40%

10%30%

20%

GROWTH IN LEAD BATTERY MARKET

Lead Battery Manufacturing

1914 Today

Welding battery plates together by melting

lead with an open flame.

Source: “Lead Poisoning in the Manufacture of Storage Batteries”

Alice Hamilton, M.A., M.D., 1914

California Lead Battery Recycling Plant Ordered To Close

▪ Lead battery recycling

plant outside Los Angeles

ordered to close in 2015.

▪ Exide agreed to spend at

least $47 million dollars on

cleaning up the site and

contaminated properties

up to 1.7 miles away!

▪ Actual cleanup cost may

exceed $500 million

dollars.

11

18

113

134

254

661

958

1,005

1,702

4,185

12,640

27,385

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000

Quemetco Inc,City of Industry, CA

Johnson Controls Battery Group Inc,, Florence, SC

Revere Smelting & Refining Corp, Middletown, NY

Quemetco Inc, Indianapolis, IN

Exide Technologies, Muncie, IN

Exide Technologies Reading Smelter Div, Reading, PA

EnviroFocus Technologies, Tampa, FL

Gopher Resource LLC, Eagan, MN

Sanders Lead Co Inc, Troy, AL

East Penn Manufacturing Co Inc, Lyon Station, PA

Exide Technologies, Forest City, MO

Buick Resource Recycling Facility LLC, Boss, MO

Air Emissions (in pounds)

U.S. Lead Battery Recycling Plant Air Emissions

Lead & Lead Compounds 2013

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Toxic Release Inventory

11 secondary refineries in 9 States have capacities of at

least 30,000 tons per year. Source:https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/mcs-2017-lead.pdf

0

50,000,000

100,000,000

150,000,000

200,000,000

250,000,000

300,000,000

350,000,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

kg

Year

Source U.S. Customs HT Codes 8548100540 and 8548100580

U.S. Exports of Used Batteries to Mexico

0

50,000,000

100,000,000

150,000,000

200,000,000

250,000,000

300,000,000

350,000,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

kg

Year

EPA Publishes

Proposed Lead

Standard

EPA Issues Final

Rule Reducing

NAAQS for Lead

Court

ordered EPA

to

review/revise

Lead air

quality

U.S. Exports of Used Batteries to Mexico

EPA notice

of proposed

rulemaking

Source U.S. Customs HT Codes 8548100540 and 8548100580

Lead Air Emissions From Recycling Facilities Reporting To Mexico, Canada and U.S. (2010)

OK International

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Quemetco, Inc.

Indianapolis, Indiana

(110,000metric

tons/year capacity)

Tonolli Canada,

Mississauga, Ontario

(70,000 metric

tons/year capacity)

Recicladora

Industrial

Acumuladores,

Santa Catarina,

Nuevo Leon (110,400

metric tons/year

capacity)

Em

issi

on

s to

Air

(k

g)

Facility Name and Location

Lead Battery Recycling

NEW RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY?

Aqua Metals claims:

• “AquaRefining is a room temperature, water-based

process that is fundamentally non-polluting”

• “Clean recycling of lead-acid batteries using an

ambient temperature process that does not

produce gas, doesn’t product slag, doesn’t

produce solid waste but does produce very high

purity lead”

Sources: http://investors.aquametals.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254050&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2278037 https://seekingalpha.com/article/3977530-aqua-metals-aqms-ceo-stephen-clarke-first-quarter-2016-corporate-update-earnings-call

Source: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/chemistry_materials/sustainable_brands/nevada_facility_begins_clean_lead_recycling

AQUA METALS UNCOVERED

• The process requires refining lead (separation of

impurities by melting lead) at temperatures of

1050˚F (565˚C) in large 50 ton “kettles”;

• The company claims to be exempt from 40 CFR Part

63 Subpart X NESHAPs definition of a “secondary

lead smelter”;

• Earthjustice has petitioned the EPA to revise the

NESHAP standards to clearly apply to all secondary

lead processing facilities and all battery recyclers.

Are Li-ion Batteries a Better Alternative?

• Lithium-ion batteries contain hazardous metals (including cobalt, manganese, nickel) and solvents.

• With current technology Lithium-ion batteries are not “recycled” but are “downcycled”.

• The best processes results in 5 - 40% recovery of some metals but the rest is waste slag.

• Challenges are the low value of key components and the number of different chemistries (without labeling or color coding).

• We calculated the waste batteries that will be generated from vehicles based on projections from International Energy Agency (IEA) and using 8 years as an average battery warranty period.

HOW MUCH WASTE?

0

10,000,000

20,000,000

30,000,000

40,000,000

50,000,000

60,000,000

2028 2038

Projected Kilotons of Waste Lithium Ion Batteries from Electric (BEV)

and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV)

BEV PHEV

2028

20 X

Why Must We Act Now?

• Battery consumption is growing.

• We have no plan to deal with waste li-ion.

• Few countries adequately regulate the lead

battery industry.

• There are very few lead recycling plants with

adequate emission controls.

• It will cost billions of dollars to deal with the

legacy of lead contaminated soil and

resulting poisoning cases unless we address

this now!

LI-ION BATTERY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Require all lithium ion batteries to be color coded

by chemistry (eg. Li-iron-phophate vs. Li-Nickel-

cobalt);

• Clarify waste classification for lithium-ion batteries as

hazardous or “universal” waste.

• Require auto, solar and wind power companies to

take back used li-ion batteries with a specified

“refundable deposit” amount;

• U.S. should ban exports of used li-ion batteries.

LEAD BATTERY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Provide financial incentives and/or regulatory

requirement for third party testing/certification for

manufacturers to extend lead battery life;

• Specify an increased mandatory refundable

deposit or purchase discount amount to encourage

higher rates of return for used batteries;

• Extend lead battery recycling provisions of the

SCAQMD to all of California;

• U.S. should ban exports of used lead batteries to

countries with weaker standards for stack emissions

and ambient air;

SUPPLY CHAIN RESPONSIBILITY

• Vehicle manufacturers, telecommunications

companies, Internet server farms, and the

photovoltaic solar industry should develop and

support minimum standards for manufacturing and

recycling lead and lithium ion batteries.

• Plants should be certified against industry specific

standards with an annual third party independent

audits.

• IBM, Sprint, and AT&T, have agreed to voluntarily

stop exporting used lead batteries from the U.S.

….other should follow.

WHEN WILL WE EVER LEARN?

“You will observe with Concern how long a useful truth may be known, and exist, before it is generally received and practiced on.”

Benjamin Franklin

“Letter on Lead Poisoning”

July 31, 1786

Perry Gottesfeld

Occupational Knowledge International

pgottesfeld@okinternational.org

www.okinternational.org

QUESTIONS?