Reclaiming the ground:A conversation with Pure Earth

摘要

Lead-acid batteries(LABs)are valued for their part in a circular economy.Nearly all the materials used in manufacturing them can be recycled into new batteries-a claim few other technologies can make.The global market continues to grow and is expected to do so for the forseeable future.But with growth come challenges.Figures from the Industrial Technology Research Institute show about 65% of the global demand for LABs is for vehicles.The rest is mainly for industrial use and off grid renewable energy storage.Developing countries value them as a key enabling technology for the transfer and storing of energy.However,many of those countries do not have a formal reverse-logistics supply chain to collect used lead-acid batteries(ULABs)and transport them for controlled recycling.Therein lies the problem.