Environment

EUREKAThis SCPS’ nickel-zinc innovative development was rewarded by the “Eureka Lillehammer Award 2005″, which is the European recognition of a strong contribution to the sustainable development and to the resolution of problems associated with wastes and environment.
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The Battery industry has to propose the right systems, to meet not only high performance requirements, but also end-users’ safety as well as health and environment respect.

Several Battery Systems are available on the market:

  • Lead-acid batteries: widely used in the automotive industry (Starting-Lighting-Ignition battery), and for numerous industrial applications (stationary and traction). It is a safe system for users, whatever is the technology of realization.
    The system is a target for many environmentalists, due to the use of lead, a heavy metal, known as a danger for human health. Poisoning of grounds around production plants is also a high level risk for people.
  • Alkaline batteries: nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride systems, as aqueous systems are also safe batteries for users. Like lead-acid battery, nickel-cadmium battery is under pressure because of cadmium (also a heavy metal), and its banishment is going on. Nickel-metal hydrides battery cannot be the right substitute of nickel-cadmium, because of a higher cost and a more complex recycling process : metal-hydrides, coming essentially from China (rare earths), cannot be recycled presently to be re-used in batteries.
  • Lithium batteries: lithium-ion, lithium polymer and lithium-metal polymer.
    Lithium battery is too frequently described as a “universal” battery system which could replace all the other chemistries.
    Even if lithium secondary batteries (lithium-ion and lithium polymer) is the leading power source for portable electronic, there are still safety problems : temperature can rise so fast during recharge that it is difficult to stop getting fire, in spite of necessary and costly safety devices. And numerous battery production plants have been destroyed due to lithium fires.
    The situation is particularly complex and risky with large batteries : serious accidents recently occurred on large capacity – high voltage batteries.
  • The lithium-metal polymer (developed by Avestor – who rapidly stopped production – and Bolloré) is difficult to consider as a satisfying solution, even if its development can finally succeed : lower performances than lithium-ion, same safety problems linked to the reactivity of lithium metal, and thermal working constraints.

    • The recycling of all types of lithium batteries requires very specific processes (for example cryogenic treatment), which increases significantly the recycling cost.

      The nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery developed by SCPS offers several key advantages:

    • higher performances than other alkaline batteries,
    • no use of heavy metals (mercury, lead or cadmium),
    • no flammable active material,
    • aqueous electrolyte which cannot get fire,
    • a simple recycling process, similar to the one in use for primary alkaline batteries ; zinc, nickel and copper can be fully recycled.
    • a competitive cost, lower than those of all other alkaline battery systems and lithium battery systems.

    So, NiZn offers a unique combination between high technical characteristics, cost effectiveness, safety and environment friendliness.

    About

    Since its foundation, S.C.P.S. places energy and environmental stakes in the centre of its technical and marketing approaches and of its development programmes. These stakes govern our future.

    Contact

    SCPS – contact {at} scps(.)fr
    85-91 Boulevard Alsace-Lorraine
    F-93115 Rosny-sous-Bois cedex
    Tel. 33 (0)1 48 54 56 36
    Fax. 33 (0)1 48 54 54 62