Lead-acid batteries are regulated as a hazardous material by the Department of Transportation (DOT) under 49 CFR 172.101. Under certain conditions a shipper may be excluded from these requirements if the batteries and packing methods meet the requirements of 49 CFR 173.159.

Disposal

Disposal of lead-acid batteries should be performed according to all federal, state, and local regulations. Lead-acid batteries should be reclaimed to avoid the regulatory requirements for hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities. Reclamation is required by law in some states.

The federal regulations governing reclamation are found in 40 CFR 266, subpart G. Persons who generate, transport, or collect spent batteries, or who store spent batteries but do not reclaim them are not subject to regulation under parts 262 through 266 or parts 270 or 124 of 40 CFR Chapter I, and also are not subject to the requirements of Section 3010 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Owners or operators of facilities that store spent batteries before reclaiming them are subject to additional requirements as specified in 40 CFR 266, subpart G. For this reason it is recommended that DOE facilities do not reclaim their own spent batteries. Reclamation may be included as part of a procurement contract for replacement batteries or contracts may be placed with a permitted reclaiming facility.

Generators of spent lead-acid batteries must ensure that batteries meet all radioactive contamination requirements for uncontrolled release.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANSI/IEEE Std 450-1987, IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement of Large Lead Storage Batteries for Generating Stations and Substations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 484-1987, IEEE Recommended Practice for Installation Design and Installation of Large Lead Storage Batteries for Generating Stations and Substations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 485-1983, IEEE Recommended Practice for Sizing Large Lead Storage Batteries for Generating Stations and Substations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 535-1986, IEEE Standard for Qualification of Class IE Lead Storage Batteries for Nuclear Power Generating Substations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 944-1986, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Application and Testing of Uninterruptible Power Supplies for Generating Stations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 1106-1987, IEEE Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing, and Replacement of Nickel-Cadmium Storage Batteries for Generating Stations and Substations.

ANSI/IEEE Std 1115-1992, IEEE Recommended Practice for Sizing Nickel-Cadmium Batteries for Stationary Applications.

Bode, H., 1977, Lead-Acid Batteries, John Wiley and Sons, New York

DOE 4330.4A, 1990, Maintenance Management Program, October 17.

DOE-STD-3003-94, Backup Power Sources for DOE Facilities.

Gates Energy Products, Rechargeable Batteries Applications Handbook, 1992, Butterworth, Stoneham, Massachusetts.

Guide Document for the Selection and Procurement of Lead-Acid Storage Batteries, Revision 2, July 1, 1993, University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Linden D., Editor in Chief, 1984, Handbook of Batteries and Fuel Cells, McGraw-Hill, New York.

NFPA 70, 1993, National Electrical Code.

NFPA 110, 1988, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems.

NFPA 111, 1989, Standard on Stored Electrical Energy Emergency and Standby Power Systems.

SAND80-7022, Handbook for Battery Energy Storage in Photovoltaic Power Systems Final Report, November 1979, Bechtel National Inc., San Francisco, California.

SAND81-7135, August 1981, Handbook of Secondary Storage Batteries and Charge Regulators in Photovoltaic Systems Final Report, Exide Management and Technology Company, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 260-299.

Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 100-179.

Vinal, G. W., 1955, Storage Batteries, Wiley, New York.

Vincent, C. A. et al., 1984, Modern Batteries, Edward Arnold Publishers, Baltimore Maryland.

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