lead from batteries

[Nick2010]

This has probably been brought up before. But is it not a good idea? Is it toxic getting the lead out? Anyone do this or suggest it? We have a ton of batteries laying around and just curious.

[mckutzy]

a stickey, ya not a good Idea
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=40769

[Defcon-One]

It's Calcium and, to a lesser degree, Strontium and the fact that we use Antimony to harden our lead that causes the problems!

(Antimony) 2Sb + (Calcium) 3Ca = Sb2Ca3

Which leads to this explaination from the other post:



Quote: Originally Posted by Suo Gan

Sb2Ca3 + 3H2O --> 3CaO + 2SbH3 = Stibine Gas + Human = Death

AS3Ca3 + 3H2O --> 3CaO + 2AsH3 = Arsine Gase + Human = Death

These are heavy gases as compared to air and will sink, therefore children and pets are at an extreme danger when smelting batteries. So when you empty your dross into a container, it will immediately pull H2O out of the atmosphere and create both arsine and stibine gas, if you empty your dross into a wet container or it gets wet, it will release both of these deadly poisons very quickly. Normal WW alloy produces a small amount of these gases by volume, using battery plates exponentially increases the amount of calcium alloy that if mixed with WW alloy (that contains arsenic and antimony) will react and create poison gases that can make you very sick and might kill you or your family. In short, it just ain't worth it! If you decided to dance with the devil and smelt some, the amount of usuable lead you will get would make it counter economic anyway. And when you go to shoot your high calcium bearing alloy, it is very hydroscopic and will rust your bore to boot. Don't do it, don't do it!

One thing I'll add, stibine smells like rotten eggs, anything over 10 PPM (Parts Per million) can do major damage, but you can't smell it until it reaches a concentration of about 100 PPM. By then You, your Dog, your Cat and your Family are all in real trouble or beyond it.

The only good news and the reason that some people get away with smelting battery lead is that not all batteries have these ingredients (there is no way to tell which ones!) and these gases are unstable and don't stick around.

Short Answer: As others here have said, Take the batteries, Sell them, Buy good clean lead of known content or wheel weights with the money! Batteries are worth more as scrap than they are for their lead content.

[fryboy]

worse - even the dross can keep releasing the deadly gas when the humidity rises = bad mojo all the way around , even in the recycling biz they offer different prices for plates and lugs , the lugs are usable , mostly the plates get sent to a third world country that doesnt have an EPA like we do , they honestly arent worth the risk

[runfiverun]

One thing I'll add, stibine smells like rotten eggs, anything over 10 PPM (Parts Per million) can do major damage, but you can't smell it until it reaches a concentration of about 100 PPM. By then You, your Dog, your Cat and your Family are all in real trouble or beyond it.

these are the same numbers that hydrogen sulphide gas uses to smell [ rotten egg like also] and kill you.
h2s
it collects in low places too.
sensing a pattern here?

[cbrick]

Here's an intereting read from this article in pdf (Pg 6).

Cast Bullet Alloys (http://www.lasc.us/Kelter_Cast_Bullet_Alloys2.pdf)

Salvaged battery lead should be avoided at all costs. Since the advent of the maintenance free battery the lead content has been reduced and elements such as strontium, calcium and others have been added. Most of these elements cast very poorly, ruin a pot of good alloy they are blended with and are extremely toxic. The quantity and quality of lead from batteries is not worth the risk or the effort.

From "Linstrum" on the Castboolits forum - Maintenance free/low maintenance batteries use calcium metal-doped lead to catalyze the hydrogen gas. The lead alloy used in batteries also contains a bit of antimony and arsenic to help harden and strengthen the lead. When hydrogen comes in contact with arsenic and antimony, the hydrogen reacts to form ammonia analogues called arsine and stibine, AsH3 and SbH3. In World War One the Germans experimented with these as war gases. As such they were highly effective since they are deadly in amounts too small to easily detect..

Do yourself and everyone else in the vicinity a favor and DO NOT use batteries. Severe lung damage and even death could result. Sell the batteries to a recycler and let the professionals deal with the risks.

Just a little something for the grey matter to chew on.

Rick

[bigjake]

snip the pure lead posts off and forget the rest.
I tried to melt a couple of the plates that are inside a battery that was busted open and laying in a an old farm dump, all the acid was long gone. I got nothing, it was just grey powdery ****.
Not worth messing with.

[Freightman]

Saw two men die almost instantly because of a broken H2S line, they evacuated the plant and all people within a mile of it. Be cheaper to order jword bullets and heather.