AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE DE PILHAS ALCALINAS E ZINCO-CARBONO DE DIFERENTES PROCEDÊNCIAS

Abstract

This work presents a study on the chemical composition of spent batteries manufactured in Brazil and Asian countries. The goal was to compare the quality of these products. Samples were disassembled prior to chemical characterization. The Asian batteries presented much more elements, including higher amounts of iron, mercury, cadmium and lead, and lower amounts of manganese and zinc than Brazilian batteries. Therefore, they present a higher environmental hazard. Also, their performance in several electroelectronic devices was much poorer than the Brazilian samples. Socio-economical aspects explain the considerable market for Asian batteries in Brazil.