ECOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL EFFECTS OF EFFLUENTS FROM NEAR-TERM ELECTRIC VEHICLE STORAGE BATTERY CYCLES

An assessment of the ecological and biomedical effects due to commercialization of storage batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles is given. It deals only with the near-term batteries, namely Pb/acid, Ni/Zn, and Ni/Fe, but the complete battery cycle is considered, i.e., mining and milling of raw materials, manufacture of the batteries, cases and covers; use of the batteries in electric vehicles, including the charge-discharge cycles; recycling of spent batteries; and disposal of nonrecyclable components. The gaseous, liquid, and solid emissions from various phases of the battery cycle are identified. The effluent dispersal in the environment is modeled and ecological effects are assessed in terms of biogeochemical cycles. The metabolic and toxic responses by humans and laboratory animals to constituents of the effluents are discussed. Pertinent environmental and health regulations related to the battery industry are summarized and regulatory implications for large-scale storage battery commercialization are discussed. Each of the seven sections were abstracted and indexed individually for EDB/ERA. Additional information is presented in the seven appendixes entitled; growth rate scenario for lead/acid battery development; changes in battery composition during discharge; dispersion of stack and fugitive emissions from battery-related operations; methodology for estimating population exposure to total suspended particulates and SO sub 2 resulting from central power station emissions for the daily battery charging demand of 10,000 electric vehicles; determination of As air emissions from Zn smelting; health effects: research related to EV battery technologies.

• Corporate Authors:

  Argonne National Laboratory

  9700 South Cass Avenue
  Argonne, IL  United States  60439

  Department of Energy

  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585
• Publication Date: 1980-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 333 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Abstracts; Air pollution; Coal; Effluents; Electric batteries; Electric vehicles; Environmental impacts; Forecasting; Fossil fuel power plants; Hybrid automobiles; Hybrid vehicles; Lead acid batteries; Living things; Manufacturing; Mining; Nickel iron batteries; Nickel zinc batteries; Recycling; Smelting; Storage batteries; Sulfur dioxide; Toxicity; Waste disposal
• Uncontrolled Terms: Arsenic; Disposal
• Old TRIS Terms: Biological effects; Iron-nickel batteries; Leading abstract; Zinc ores
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00326953
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Contract Numbers: W-31-109-ENG-38
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 18 1981 12:00AM