CONTENT OF MERCURY AND CADMIUM IN THE STREAM OF SPENT ZINC-CARBON BATTERIES

According to EU Directive 2006/66/EC it is prohibited to sale batteries and accumulators containing more than 0.0005 wt. % mercury by weight and 0.002 wt. % of cadmium (except for special purpose batteries and button cells, in which the content of mercury should not exceed 2 % by weight). In the stream of zinc-carbon batteries reaching the Polish market (and later the processing plants) one can find a large number of such that do not have information about the content of mercury and cadmium. The quantitative study of these two types of metals in particular parts of the zinc-carbon batteries type R6, standard AA, and in the stream of spent zinc-carbon batteries for recycling was described. Obtained results are showing that overall cadmium content in individual elements of tested batteries, referenced to the total weight of the battery does not exceed the value permissible by the EU Directive in the amount of 0.002 % by weight of Cd in each of the analyzed batteries. However, the overall mercury content in individual parts of tested batteries for three of them exceeds the value permissible by the EU Directive (Directive 2006/66/EC, 2006), showing the amount of 0.0005 % of Hg by weight.