The Almighty Battery

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What's Inside?

The major components of a lead-acid battery are the electrodes, the electrolyte, and the casing. The positive electrode (cathode) typically consists of pure lead dioxide, whereas the negative electrode (anode) consists of a grid of metallic lead containing various elemental additives, including antimony, arsenic, cadmium, copper, and tin. The average lead battery consists of 17% metallic lead, 50% lead sulfate/oxide, 24% acid, 5% plastics and 4% residuals.

The Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Miracle

Scientists have known for over 100 years that it was possible to produce electricity by simply combining oxygen and hydrogen in a chemical electrolyte. The combination process entailed neither combustion nor pollution, just electrical current ...with pure water as the only by-product! This miracle energy source could only take place, however, through extremely delicate membranes of metal such as platinum, and the process of constructing a fuel cell composed of many thousands of these meticulously organized membranes was predictably expensive. What the idea needed was an underwriter in both the public and private sectors, and over the past five years, the hydrogen cell has been provided with both. Honda, Daimler-Benz, as well as many smaller corporations have manufactured hydrogen cell vehicles, and Congress has approved over $100 million in research funds for future development. Both IBM and Dow Corning have launched ambitious plans to develop cell designs that are simpler, smaller in size, and less expensive. The potential for the hydrogen cell is so enormous that in less then 20 years, we could see a nationwide fleet of millions of city buses, trucks, vans, and cars running at unsurpassed efficiency on cheaply obtained fuel and with absolutely zero emissions, as well as a revolution in off-the-grid home electrical power. It just might be a brave new world after all!

The Lead-Acid Dilemma

Lead-acid batteries' biggest liabilities are their toxic components and limited useful life span: typically between six months to four years. The short life is due to internal deterioration of the lead plates, which constitute the electrodes for the battery. The World Battery Council estimates that 84% of lead-acid batteries are scrapped because of sulfation, or the accumulation on the plates of lead sulfate deposits, which occurs when a battery is discharged.

The deeper a battery is discharged, the greater the sulfation. And the greater the sulfation, the more diminished the battery's capacity to store electricity.

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