Small batteries now being turned into fertiliser
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325727)
Rockingham, Australia
May 25, 2020 7:35pm CST
We lost our internet again yesterday. Duh. However, here we are again.
I’m sure we all use batteries of varying shapes and sizes. Remote controls and children’s toys are just two uses of single-use alkaline batteries.
In our news today, an Australian company is extracting manganese and zinc from these smaller alkaline batteries and is now conducting trials using the extracts as a crop fertiliser.
Around 158 million alkaline batteries are used in Australia each year and only about 3% are recycled. All these batteries have been imported.
Paddock trials using wheat are set to begin using a metal dust which contains high levels of the extracted minerals. So far, the fertiliser has compared well with other sulphate fertilisers although it is more of a slow-release product. Commercial quantities of manganese and zinc for fertiliser currently come from Queensland and Western Australia.
A little bit of good news for the day. The photo is of a canola crop.
29 people like this
29 responses
@RasmaSandra (73408)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
26 May 20
That is certainly surprising and wonderful news. I would have never thought you could do that with batteries, The crop field looks lovely and reminds me of the yellow rapeseed fields in Latvia.
4 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (94514)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
26 May 20
Thank you for sharing the good news about the batteries that are no longer in service in the process of being used as fertilizer.
3 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (94514)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
27 May 20
@JudyEv Time will tell if the new idea works.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325727)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 20
@Deepizzaguy Yes, it is early stages yet.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (215402)
• Chile
26 May 20
I didn´t know that batteries could be recycled!!! We are just starting to behave. Plastics are used less.
3 people like this
We have always been told that those batteries are very dangerous if leakage, I am going to ask to our local authorities what do they think of this idea... I hope that asking is not dangerous.@LadyDuck (458006)
• Switzerland
27 May 20
@JudyEv I have read an article on Bloomberg last week. The "metal dust" from the batteries in potted wheat inglasshouses with the low quality soil found in Australia and it seems to work, even if it is slower than using a common sulphate product. I have read that the 97% if batteries in your country ends up in landfields, here the 70% is "recycled" already (they make new batteries with the recycled ones).
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
26 May 20
That is really exciting! I try not to use things with single-use batteries because they are single-use, but I do have some for emergencies (lights and radio).
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325727)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 20
We buy rechargeables mostly and they last a good while. Eventually they don't take a charge too well but we do get a lot of re-uses of them before that time.
@JudyEv (325727)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 20
@petatonicsca We've never had any problems with them at all. They are just the little AAA batteries.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
27 May 20
@JudyEv I'm a little nervous about them. Do they ever catch fire?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 May 20
I hope it works out well in their testing as a fertilizer. We're getting to that point where we need to start figuring out ways to reuse and/or recycle all the trash and rubbish we generate, instead of just sending it to landfills.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 May 20
@JudyEv Time to change all that!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
26 May 20
batteries are such a boon and a bane. this is a really cool idea!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325727)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 May 20
@DocAndersen Some of these figures are staggering. We use rechargeables mostly now.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
26 May 20
@JudyEv i suspect we go through 500 or more batteries a year. or around 100 per person. We are probably on the high end.
let's say the average is 4 per person per year globally.
that would be around 28 billion a year.
1 person likes this
@LowRiderX (22907)
• Serbia
28 May 20
I don't think even those 3% are recycled here. I believe that will change in the future. For now, only paper and plastic are recycled here
1 person likes this
@LowRiderX (22907)
• Serbia
28 May 20
@JudyEv Especially here, everything is impossible here..
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7180)
• India
26 May 20
is manganese, zinc a good fertilizer. I never knew plants need them.
1 person likes this
@jayanth_77 (7180)
• India
27 May 20
@JudyEv ok. Recycling will help reduce pollution and also help the plants to get essential nutrients
1 person likes this
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
26 May 20
Thank you for sharing that nice picture. It has a refreshing look.
1 person likes this
@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
26 May 20
@JudyEv yes, the colorful yellow flowers.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156056)
• United States
26 May 20
I'm always glad to hear about companies that are recycling materials of any kind.
1 person likes this
@amitkokiladitya (171936)
• Agra, India
26 May 20
I hope this reasearch gets successful
1 person likes this
@amitkokiladitya (171936)
• Agra, India
26 May 20
@JudyEv yes... really that would be great. I have so many at my house as well
1 person likes this
