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Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering

ISSN 2095-2201

ISSN 2095-221X(Online)

CN 10-1013/X

邮发代号 80-973

2018 Impact Factor: 3.883

Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering  2018, Vol. 12 Issue (3): 3   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1019-x
  本期目录
End-of-life batteries management and material flow analysis in South Korea
Hyunhee Kim1, Yong-Chul Jang1(), Yeonjung Hwang1, Youngjae Ko2, Hyunmyeong Yun1,3
1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
2. Waste to Energy Research Division, Environmental Resources Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon 22689, South Korea
3. Daejeon Green Environment Center, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
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Abstract

Analysis of collection and recycling system of end-of-life batteries was examined.

Relatively limited fractions of portable batteries were collected by EPR system.

More effective and diverse collection pathways should be developed.

Consumers increasingly have worn-out batteries as electrical and electronic equipment with new technical developments are introduced into the market and quickly replace older models. As a result, large amounts of end-of-life (EOL) or waste batteries are generated. Such batteries may contain a variety of materials that includes valuable resources as well as toxic elements. Thus, the proper recycling and management of batteries is very important from the perspective of resource conservation and environmental effect. The collection and recycling of EOL batteries is relatively low in South Korea compared to other countries, although an extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy was adopted for battery recycling in 2003. In this study, the management and material flow of EOL batteries is presented to determine potential problems and quantitative flow, based on literature review, site visits to battery recycling facilities, and interviews with experts in the Korea Battery Recycling Association (KBRA), manufacturers, and regulators in government. The results show that approximately 558 tons of manganese-alkaline batteries, the largest fraction among recycling target items, was disposed in landfills or incinerators in 2015, while approximately 2,000 tons of batteries were recovered at a recycling facility by simple sorting and crushing processes. By raising environmental awareness, more diverse and effective collection systems could be established for consumers to easily dispose of EOL batteries in many places. Producers, retailers and distributors in South Korea should also play an important role in the collection of EOL batteries from consumers. Lithium-ion batteries from many electronic devices must be included in the EPR system for resource recovery.

Key wordsEnd-of-life battery    Recycling    Material flow analysis (MFA)    Extended producer responsibility (EPR)    Resource recovery
收稿日期: 2017-06-08      出版日期: 2018-06-10
Corresponding Author(s): Yong-Chul Jang   
 引用本文:   
. [J]. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 2018, 12(3): 3.
Hyunhee Kim, Yong-Chul Jang, Yeonjung Hwang, Youngjae Ko, Hyunmyeong Yun. End-of-life batteries management and material flow analysis in South Korea. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2018, 12(3): 3.
 链接本文:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/CN/10.1007/s11783-018-1019-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fese/CN/Y2018/V12/I3/3
Battery 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Total
Battery
POM* 721 859 1121 897 1198 15,270 13,387 12,955 14,605 14,212 13,431 12,834 14,634
Target amount 145 214 277 227 344 3,233 2,903 3,257 3,058 3,366 3,216 2,977 4,093
Collected amount 135 206 365 353 304 1,066 1,520 1,983 2,222 2,390 1,547 2,945 2,906
Collection rate(%) 18.78 24.01 32.58 39.37 25.4 6.98 11.35 15.31 15.21 16.82 11.52 22.95 19.86
Silver
Oxide
Battery
POM* 0.8 1.8 4.9 4.4 4.2 3.7 3.3 3.5 4.8 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9
Target amount 0.7 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.5 2.4 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.3
Collected amount 0.4 1.2 2.2 2.3 2.4 1 1.1 1.3 1.9 1 1.2 1.1 1
Collection rate(%) 50 66.67 44.9 52.27 57.14 27.03 33.33 37.14 39.58 27.03 32.43 28.95 25.64
Lithium
Primary
Battery
POM* 205 222 287 137 289 252 205 307 366 414 372 378 506
Target amount 41 65 72 40 110 124 107 177 213 269 242 246 329
Collected amount 55 101 208 153 102 83 178 162 167 218 189 151 173
Collection rate(%) 26.83 45.5 72.47 111.68 35.29 32.94 86.83 52.77 45.63 52.66 50.81 39.95 34.19
Nickel
Cadmium
Battery
POM* 515 635 829 756 905 859 776 808 644 647 843 616 534
Target amount 103 147 204 186 233 250 241 268 246 259 337 246 215
Collected amount 80 104 155 198 200 181 210 206 255 251 301 358 213
Collection rate(%) 15.53 16.38 18.7 26.19 22.1 21.07 27.06 25.5 39.6 38.79 35.71 58.12 39.89
Manganese
/Alkaline
Battery
POM* Pre-implementation 13,615 12,148 11,515 13,321 12,860 12,025 11,515 13,321
Target amount 2,723 2,490 2,717 2,558 2,778 2,597 2,421 3,489
Collected amount 781 1,127 1,603 1,774 1,897 1,038 2,421 2,488
Collection rate(%) 5.74 9.28 13.92 13.32 14.75 8.63 21.6 15.4
Nickel
Metal
Hybride
Battery
POM* Pre-implementation 540 255 321 269 287 187 321 269
Target amount 135 64 93 39 58 38 62 58
Collected amount 20 4 11 24 23 18 14 31
Collection rate(%) 3.7 1.57 3.43 8.92 8.01 9.63 4.58 10.84
Tab.1  
Life cycle Data Methods for data collection
Statistics Literature Site visit/
Survey/
Interview
Import Import of battery X
production Manufacturing of battery X
Market for rechargeable battery X
Use and generation Use for households X
Use for industrial sectors X
Storage in households and industrial sectors X
Generation from households and industrial sectors X
Collection Collection by municipality X
Collection by producer responsibility organization X
Storage/stock X
Recycling Battery recycled X
Recyclables recovered after recycling X
Disposal Incineration X
Landfilling X
Tab.2  
Fig.1  
Fig.2  
Fig.3  
Fig.4  
Fig.5  
Korea Japan Germany
Population 51,529,338 127,103,388 80,996,685
Country area 99,720 km2 377,915 km2 357,022 km2
EPR system Yes
(only 6 types)
Yes
(only secondary batteries)
Yes
(all batteries)
Take-back system No Yes Yes
POM/(tons) 14,634 [33] 87,806 [41,43] 43,979 [44]
Collection amount/(tons) 2906 [33] 22,855 [41,43] 19,142 [44]
Collection rate 19.86 % 26.03 % 44.20 % [44]
Basic Unit Collection
Rate/(g/capita/yr)
283.99 690.82 542.97
Recycling amount/(tons) 2906 [33] 13,599 [40] 42,256 [45]
Collection sites 36,000 [32] 41,730 [43] 171,000 [7]
Tab.3  
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