Urban Battery Litter
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 1
Abstract
Consumer batteries littered in urban environments are generally littered on pavements. These batteries rapidly deteriorate by several physical and chemical mechanisms that breach their structural integrity and release a host of environmentally significant pollutants (Ag, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, Zn) to storm-water runoff. Research on urban battery litter began at Case Western Reserve University in the summer of 2001. This paper presents much of what is currently known about the occurrence of urban battery litter. Data are presented on the number, type, and condition of over 6,100 littered batteries collected in field surveys conducted in urban areas around Cleveland. Methods are presented for estimating battery litter rates and for characterizing the size, structure, internal chemistry, deterioration status, life expectancy, and contaminant release potential of urban battery litter. Results from field study sites demonstrate that at “hot spot” locations, battery litter can be a significant source of contamination. Annual litter rates as high as (nearly 90/acre) of parking lot pavement and of street curb (one battery for every of curb) have been measured. At some locations the Zn mass loading from batteries approaches and could be the most significant source of pavement-related Zn released to urban storm-water runoff.
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Acknowledgments
This research was conducted with support of National Science Foundation Grant No. NSFCMS 99-01108 and NSFCBET-0650675, and with support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund and Eveready Battery Company. The writers also wish to acknowledge the efforts of Alison Cox, Elijah Petersen, Jim Clark, Anathita Ameri, Kate Snyder, Katherine Schadd, Ryan Troy, the Brecksville-Broadview SAFE Club, and the Valparaiso University students of “Heavy Metals in the Urban Environment” for assisting in the collection and characterization of urban battery litter. Elizabeth Barns assisted in the development of battery disassembly analysis. Ryan Quinn helped develop the Access littered battery database.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 1 • January 2009
Pages: 46 - 57
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 15, 2007
Accepted: Aug 5, 2008
Published online: Jan 1, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2009
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