Reconditioning Car Batteries

The green movement is the result of the current economic crisis and and the adverse environmental impact of human activities. People are finding that ways to reduce the adverse environmental impact and reduce costs are the reuse of items or extension of their lifetime. One of these items is the lead acid car battery. After a certain period of time, car batteries have to be recharged or replaced as they lose their charge. Car battery reconditioning should be done carefully and precautions must be taken.

Car batteries are a type of lead acid battery. A chemical reaction takes place for them to provide energy. An electrolyte of sulfuric acid and cells with lead or lead oxide compose the battery. During discharge, the cell materials react with the electrolyte to form lead sulfate and water. Lead sulfate becomes lead, lead oxide and sulfuric acid when the battery is recharged. As the battery goes through numerous discharges and recharges, over time, some lead sulfate does not revert back to lead. The result is a lower amount or no lead for the chemical reaction to power the battery. This is called sulfation.

Reconditioning batteries is achieved by removing the lead sulfate build up on the plates. Applying pulses or strong current charges to the battery is one way to remove the build up. Effective reconditioning can occur this way. However, most of us dont have this capability. Batteries can be reconditioned using other ways but may not be as effective. Battery life extension can be achieved somewhat through the use of epsom salts. EDTA can dissolve lead sulfate but the lifetime of the battery is reduced compared to its original lifetime. In addition, there appear to be reports online that the addition of distilled water to the battery cells and charging the battery might also help to recondition the battery as water reacts with lead sulfate converting it to sulfuric acid. The acid reduces or eliminates the sulfate build up.

Batteries have toxic chemicals that one might encounter during battery reconditioning, so it is not for everyone. For environmentally conscious individuals, there is another way to help the environment: offer dead car batteries for recycling. Dead batteries are ground with their chemicals neutralized and separated during recycling. These chemicals are then used in other industry applications. A small refundable amount may be offered by some cities and many more cities make available battery recycling programs. Old batteries can be also returned for recycling to businesses that sell new batteries.

There are multiple ways to recondition car batteries. For those who do not want to venture into such a task at home but want to help the environment, there are recycling services available.