Lead/Acid to Alcaline/Lead battery conversion - useful?

[Freezer]

Edit:

See EPA here is Asmerica would have fit and you got to jail if they caught you doing that.

I was wondering about where to put the acid when taken out of the battery, as that is some bad stuff to deal with. If you do have funds to blow on a battery, might want to purchase one without the electrolyte. I was thinking about getting something like this. These batteries come without the electrolyte, which is added when used in an emergency. Of course these batteries are expensive, but perhaps there are cheaper ones out there, idk.

Basement Watchdog Battery Operated Backup Sump Pumps Home Page

[blackchisel97]

I was wondering about where to put the acid when taken out of the battery, as that is some bad stuff to deal with.

Acid from battery can be neutralized with Ca(OH)2 - calcium hydroxide (slack lime). Basically, any hydroxide; potassium, sodium, calcium, where calcium is the weakest of them. Ca(OH)2+ H2SO4--->2H2O+ CaSO4 water and calcium sulfate - which is a salt (neither acid nor alkali). Calcium sulfate can be found in nature in both forms; anhydrous (anhydrite) and hydrated - alabaster, gypsum, selenite, terra alba, satinite, satin spar, and light spar. Neutralized product presents no harm to the environment as log as reaction is balanced - weak acid - weak base, strong acid - strong base. PH tester or litmus test maybe helpful.


Vtech

[Matthew Jones]

Acid from battery can be neutralized with Ca(OH)2 - calcium hydroxide (slack lime). Basically, any hydroxide; potassium, sodium, calcium, where calcium is the weakest of them. Ca(OH)2+ H2SO4--->2H2O+ CaSO4 water and calcium sulfate - which is a salt (neither acid nor alkali). Calcium sulfate can be found in nature in both forms; anhydrous (anhydrite) and hydrated - alabaster, gypsum, selenite, terra alba, satinite, satin spar, and light spar. Neutralized product presents no harm to the environment as log as reaction is balanced - weak acid - weak base, strong acid - strong base. PH tester or litmus test maybe helpful.

Hold up, the acid contains LEAD.

Recycling facilities for batteries clean it then resale it to battery manufactures or chemical industry. The waste is neutralized with lime. They allow the liquid to evaporate then reuse the lime until it will not neutralize the acids. Then it gets chemically cleaned for lead. The lead is separated and recycled along with any other by product. Then the lime is separated.

You have to remember the LEAD. It is dissolved to some extent in the solution and does pose an environmental hazard, especially in that form. It can easily find its way to a water supply or whatever.

There are EPA standards and requirements for bulk recycling of batterries. You can probably find them or ask for them.

Matt

[blackchisel97]

Hold up, the acid contains LEAD.

Recycling facilities for batteries clean it then resale it to battery manufactures or chemical industry. The waste is neutralized with lime. They allow the liquid to evaporate then reuse the lime until it will not neutralize the acids. Then it gets chemically cleaned for lead. The lead is separated and recycled along with any other by product. Then the lime is separated.

You have to remember the LEAD. It is dissolved to some extent in the solution and does pose an environmental hazard, especially in that form. It can easily find its way to a water supply or whatever.

There are EPA standards and requirements for bulk recycling of batterries. You can probably find them or ask for them.

Matt

Yes, you're correct. There will be flakes of plates as well as lead salts present. If you'll let the water evaporate than you'll end up with teaspoon (or more, if battery was poor) dry mass. You can keep one useless battery as a dump container for this purpose, and recycle at your designated spot when gets full. There are other ways but on the scale of couple converted batteries not worth a hassle. Protective gloves, eye-ware and not inhaling dust particle are common sense.


Vtech

[baroutologos]

OK, testing from converted to alum battery has been done with some success. The battery have more or less the same capacity but its behaviour has changed. All charging discharging happens almost one volt below.

Resting volt is 11,80-11,90 fully charges. Pulse charging seems more or less equally efficient to lead acid.

Baroutologos

[Joit]

I think more, this discharging so far is the resting Voltage, lesser a really discharge.

I did make my Mix thinner, but seems it did take now again lesser charge,
but it seems its anyway a mechanical damaged Batterie,
I think, i will trow it, and try it again at a better one, where all Cells work.
Well, still playing around with it, i am not done with it now.
But mainly i would say, it can make a old Batterie better again.
At last, you should look, how the Batterie works under Load,
if it can support a lot Energy at once, like starting a Car with it.
But perhaps more Advantages come with more often charge Cycles.

[baroutologos]

Ok, some final results here.

After three weeks plus of conversion time of my Bosch 6 Ah rated batter converted to allum, initially charged / discharged normally and after that non-stop cycling on my SSG, i am in possition of declaring that its useless to do that.

Although pulse charging eff. seems equal if not less than its previous lead acid state, its capacity has dropped drammaticaly to 10-15%. initially it could sustained a 21 watts of 12 volt bulb lit for 1 1/2 hour, and now in a fully charged state does not exceed 15 minutes!

So, no mre allum for me

Baroutologos

[Joit]

You can try to charge the Batterie first with normal Charger few Times,
before you use the SG.
Hasslberger said also, that some from his Batteries didnt work,
i think its for any Brand different.
I still play around with one, where half from the Cells are dead, but at all, it takes better load at the working Cells.
I charged it yesterday again for 6 Hours and decharge it with a Led over Days,
but today it looks better as at the last Time.
And i think too, it probatly depends at the Mix too, how well it works after.

[baroutologos]

@Joit,

I said i charged/discharged it several times before mounting on SSG. Regarding the mixture density, i put some 15-20% solution of kAI(SO4)2. (Almost saturation)

Again, if i had not hit the correct mix, i should have lower that lead/acid performance, not that sharp decline. My battery is far from dead. Although not brand new, and some experiments left their signs on it, is or was of good shape.

Anyway, good luck with your alum coversion.

Baroutologos

[1NRG24Seven]

Hello @All

Here is a great .pdf file explaining how to resurrect lead acid batteries using EDTA a food preservative. Have not tried it yet as i need to get some of this EDTA.

Was not able to upload file.
you can link to the article from this website
EDTA RESTORES SULFATED LEAD ACID BATTERIES

link to homepower is at bottom of page

good luck and happy battery recovery
24

[1NRG24Seven]

Well isn't that special....the file did upload afterall

[baroutologos]

I have some time re-covered my only Bosch 6 Ah from previous allum conversion, back to normal lead-acid. It took me some time to restore it, but the battery is not as it were before. (lower capacity)

[Vorg]

I know this is an old thread. Heard about alum conversion in the earth batt thread.

Does the lead need to be primed as an acid battery first? or can you start with clean lead and alum? I have a 2000VA rack mount UPS and I'm interrested in making an external booster battery to give it longer run. It has a cable to run to a second battery unit to boost run time. I don't know how well it would work with other battery types or with the internal lead/acid battery still in, if it would cause problems.