Environmental, health, and safety issues of sodium-sulfur batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. Volume 2, Battery recycling and disposal

Technical Report · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10187449· OSTI ID:10187449

Corbus, D

Recycling and disposal of spent sodium-sulfur (Na/S) batteries are important issues that must be addressed as part of the commercialization process of Na/S battery-powered electric vehicles. The use of Na/S batteries in electric vehicles will result in significant environmental benefits, and the disposal of spent batteries should not detract from those benefits. In the United States, waste disposal is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Understanding these regulations will help in selecting recycling and disposal processes for Na/S batteries that are environmentally acceptable and cost effective. Treatment processes for spent Na/S battery wastes are in the beginning stages of development, so a final evaluation of the impact of RCRA regulations on these treatment processes is not possible. The objectives of tills report on battery recycling and disposal are as follows: Provide an overview of RCRA regulations and requirements as they apply to Na/S battery recycling and disposal so that battery developers can understand what is required of them to comply with these regulations; Analyze existing RCRA regulations for recycling and disposal and anticipated trends in these regulations and perform a preliminary regulatory analysis for potential battery disposal and recycling processes. This report assumes that long-term Na/S battery disposal processes will be capable of handling large quantities of spent batteries. The term disposal includes treatment processes that may incorporate recycling of battery constituents. The environmental regulations analyzed in this report are limited to US regulations. This report gives an overview of RCRA and discusses RCRA regulations governing Na/S battery disposal and a preliminary regulatory analysis for Na/S battery disposal.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 10187449
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP--262-4680; ON: DE92016432
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320305
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330300
330400
DISPOSAL
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
ELECTRIC-POWERED SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYBRID SYSTEMS
INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
MATERIALS RECOVERY
OXIDATION
RECYCLING
REGULATIONS
RESOURCE RECOVERY ACTS
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT
SAFETY
SODIUM
SODIUM-SULFUR BATTERIES
SULFIDES
SULFUR
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE PROCESSING