Best Management Practices for Green Recycling of

Used lead Acid Batteries

By

Dr. R. S. Mahwar,
Environmental Adviser, India Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA)
Former Director (Addl), Central Pollution Control Board
(Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change), Govt. of India

Seminar on Green Recycling of Used Lead Batteries

April 23, 2018 - Kolkata
 Lead Recycling Industries* in India
 Total Registered : 497 (Spread over 18 States)
 Total Capacity : 2.1 Million MTA
 States with more than 100000 MTA Capacity : 9
• Andhra Pradesh
• Gujarat
• Haryana
• Karnataka
• Madhya Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Rajasthan
• Uttar Pradesh
• West Bengal
(* Source - CPCB, Delhi)
 What is Green Recycling...?
 Adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the recycling process
to ensure :
• Minimum Consumption of Resources (Men, Materials, Water, Energy)
• Minimum Generation of Wastes/Residues.
• Minimum emissions of Lead and other pollutants.
• No or minimum adverse impact on human health & environment.

(Image Source: https://www.governmenteuropa.eu/aurelius-environmental-lead-acid-

battery-recycling/84514/)
 Environmental and Health Standards for Lead
 Limits in Environmental Matrices
• Lead in work area (8-hr avg.) : 0.05 mg/m3
• Lead in emission through stack : 10.0 mg/Nm3
• Lead in effluents : 0.10 mg/l
• Lead in factory premises near boundary wall (24-hr avg.) : 1.0 µg/m3
 Limits in Human Blood
• Acceptable level in Blood : 10 µg/dl
• Medical examination at least once a year for lead levels in blood and urine
• Workers having lead in blood greater than 42 µg/dl to be shifted to non-
lead activity areas and given special medical treatment till the lead levels
come back to acceptable level.
Average Work Environment Specially in the Small Scale Lead Recycling
Industries : Need for Adopting BMPs
Images : Visits to Different Industries
 Average Work Environment in Lead Recycling Industries
Image Source : WHO Report (2017) - Recycling Used Lead-acid Batteries: Health
Considerations
 BMPs- Receipt and Unloading of ULAB/Lead Scrap
 Separate access road- entry gate to the unloading point
 Scrap storage close to furnace
 Acid* collection system - Close to ULAB unloading point
 Drained batteries storage - close to the Top Cutting Machine (TCM)
 Paved flooring – Unloading, TCM and segregation area
 Run off from Paved floor to Effluent treatment Plant (ETP)
 Tyre washings system (Need Based)
 Washings to ETP
 Rain water run off from the access road to ETP
 Shed for the access road (where possible)
(*Actual fate of the acid is still not very clear)
 BMPs - Battery Breaking* and Component Segregation
 Top Cutting Machine (TCM)
• Lowers/Enclosures
• Acoustics for Noise Control
 Segregation area
• Close to TCM
• Paved floor with slope to ETP
• Components washings (flow through) with treated water form ETP
• Washings to ETP
 Fugitive Emission Control
• Suction hoods over the TCM operation and segregation area
• Connection of suction hoods to Air Pollution Control System (APCS)
(*ULAB unloading and breaking area is still the most unorganised part in
the lead recycling industry)
 BMPs - Storage and Disposal the Plastic Components*
 Isolated and Covered Storage
 Minimum storage time (Generation to Dispatch)
 Sale to authorised recyclers
 Transport by vehicles not involved in hazardous waste handling
 Separate access road from plastics storage point to entry gate
 Battery Cases not to be involved in any in-house use or taken by workers
(*The waste requires large storage space which is not available in most of
the industries. Also, there is no authentic information source available on
the actual use of this waste)
 BMPs - Smelting and Casting Operation
 Material for furnace to be kept ready near the furnace for loading
 Air Pollution Control System to be in brought in operation before charging
 Air blower to be kept off while the charging door/lid is open
 Negative pressure at the loading door/molten metal taping point
 Suction hoods for fugitive emission control in the casting area
 Portable metallic containers for collection of slag*
 Suction hoods for fugitive emission control in hot slag storage area
 Suction Hoods to be connected to the APCS.
(*There is need for a third party or CPCB audit for accounting the
generation and disposal of this slag in the country)
 BMPs - Air Pollution Control System(APCS)
 Cooling/Settling Chambers
 Cyclone Separator
 Bag Filter (Pulse Jet/Vibrating)
 Alkaline Scrubber
• Close loop
• Three sumps in series
• Overflow of one going to the next
• Recirculation from the third
• Monitoring of pH in the third sump
• Scrubber Blow down to ETP
 Exhaust Blower
 Stack
• Minimum 30 meters
• Port hole for sampling
• Monitoring platform and access ladder
 BMPs - Effluent Treatment Plant *
 Preferably Modular (specially for small scale units)
 Preferably above ground level & under a shed
 Physicochemical Treatment
 Tertiary treatment by activated Charcoal
 Built in Sludge Drying Beds
 Overhead storage of the treated water from ETP
 Use of treated water for scrubber water make up, washing of plastics etc
(*ETP is not existing in most of the old units, perhaps because the
recyclable lead wastes mentioned in the HW Rules 2003 and HW Rules
2008 imply receipt of only drained batteries for recycling)
BMPs - ETP for Units Generating Large Quantities of Spent Electrolyte
 Design to include the treatment of sulphuric acid
 Caustic Soda Treatment
• Availability of disposal options for high TDS water
• Recovery and use of the lead contaminated Sodium Sulphate
 Lime treatment
• Larger area requirement
 Sludge drying beds or press filter
 Storage of Gypsum (Gets easily air borne in summer)
 Availability of options for use/disposal of the Gypsum sludge
• Dependence on the existence of cement Kilns in the proximity
 BMPs - Storage and Disposal of Wastes
 Furnace Slag :
• Storage under covered shade
• Sent to TSDF
 Ash from APCS
• Storage under covered shade
• Sent to TSDF
 ETP Sludge
• Storage under covered shade
• Gypsum to be given to cement plants
• Sent to TSDF
 Plastic Waste
• Sale to authorised recyclers
 BMPs - Decontamination Station (DCS)*
 DCS including the change room for workers
 Gray water from DCS to ETP
 Prevention of lead carry over specially with shoes/clothes
• Administrative building and all associated infrastructure
• Gray water
• Sewage
• Septic tank/STP
• Worker’s Canteen
• Vehicles
• Homes and public places
(* DCS not seen in any of the 20+ units visited)
 BMPs - Management of Storm Water*
 Rain water - major source of lead carry over
 Complete segregation of the storm water drains
 All lead involving activities to be carried out under covered sheds
 Access roads to have sheds or the run off taken into ETP
 Minimum movement from process areas to non process areas during rains
 No vehicle movement during rains
 Slopes should not permit any water logging
(* A major source of soil, surface and ground water contamination from
the lead recycling industry)
 BMPs - Resource Conservation
 Water efficient fixtures
 Energy efficient fixtures
 Use of treated water from ETP for all process needs
 Scope for utilization
• Spent acid
• Sodium sulphate recovery from spent acid
• Slag
• Plastics
 Installation of Photovoltaic solar power generation system on the roof
 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
 Respiratory Protection
 Eye and Face Protection

 Hearing Protection
 Head Protection

 Hand Protection
 Foot Protection

 PPE Training
 Areas Needing Priority Attention for Adoption of BMPs
 ULAB unloading, breaking and segregation
 Collection and disposal of Spent electrolyte
 Cleaning and disposal plastic waste
 Scrubber operation
 Disposal of Furnace slag
 Decontamination Station
 Strom water management
 Useful Links
 Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Recycling of Hazardous Wastes
(CPCB)
http://cpcb.nic.in/uploads/hwmd/GuidelinesforEnviron_soundRecyclingH
W2010.PDF

 Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary

Movement) Rules, 2016
http://www.moef.gov.in/sites/default/files/Final%20HWM%20Rules%202
016%20%28English%29.pdf

 Recycling used lead-acid batteries: health considerations (WHO)

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/259447/978924151285
5-
eng.pdf;jsessionid=DA331B0E5826F17246843EC1D82BBCE4?sequence=1
Thank You........