The lead acid battery works well at cold temperatures and is superior to lithium-ion when operating in sub-zero conditions. Lead acid batteries can be divided into two main classes: vented lead acid batteries (spillable) and valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries (sealed or non-spillable). 2. Vented Lead Acid Batteries
Acid burns to the face and eyes comprise about 50% of injuries related to the use of lead acid batteries. The remaining injuries were mostly due to lifting or dropping batteries as they are quite heavy. Lead acid batteries are usually filled with an electrolyte solution containing sulphuric acid.
The end of life is usually considered when the battery capacity drops to 80% of the initial value. For most lead–acid batteries, the capacity drops to 80% between 300 and 500 cycles. Lead–acid battery cycle life is a complex function of battery depth of discharge, temperature, average state of charge, cycle frequency, charging methods, and time.
Small sealed lead acid battery (up to 5 kg) can be placed into regular battery recycling boxes (Call2Recycle) (Figure 15), as long as they first placed into a sealed plastic bag. Please contact EHS at [email protected] for more information concerning VRLA battery disposal and recycling.
2. Vented Lead Acid Batteries Vented lead acid batteries are commonly called “flooded”, “spillable” or “wet cell” batteries because of their conspicuous use of liquid electrolyte (Figure 2). These batteries have a negative and a positive terminal on their top or sides along with vent caps on their top.
This concentration of sulfuric acid is characteristic of a nearly fully charged battery. For partially or fully discharged battery, the sulfuric acid concentration and sulfuric acid–specific gravity are lower. Lead–acid batteries are characterized by a direct dependence of battery open-circuit voltage on the state of charge.