Inmetco is the leading recycling of metal bearing wastes in North America. In 1992, approximately 56,000 tons of nickel, chromium and iron bearing wastes, including 1,200 tons of spent nickel- cadmium and nickel-iron batteries, were recycled by Inmetco. This resulted in the production of over 21,000 tons of remelt allow. Inmetco is a subsidiary of INCO, one of the world's largest mining and metals companies.
Located 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, in the heart of steel country, Inmetco began in 1978, recycling wastes from stainless steel manufacturing. These wastes are known as mill scale, swarf, and electric arc furnace dust. They still make up a large percentage of Inmetco's feedstock. Since 1978, Inmetco's process waste feed specifications have been broadened to accept a wider variety of waste streams such as: Nickel and chromium containing cakes, nickel and chromium solutions, nickel and chromium containing catalyst, nickel-iron batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries and production scrap from the nickel-cadmium battery production process.
Since 1989, Inmetco's nickel-cadmium battery recycling programs have grown substantially, as illustrated by the graph below.
Ni-Cd BATTERIES
1989-1993
Tons
1989 - 50 Tons
1990 - 150 Tons
1991 - 500 Tons
1992 - 1,200 Tons
1993 - 2,200 Tons Proj.
Inmetco has developed several types of nickel-cadmium battery programs to serve the needs of manufacturers, distributors and users of nickel-cadmium battery powered products. They are the mail-back program, the reverse distribution program and the large quantity program.
The manufacturer/distributor of the nickel-cadmium battery powered product if responsible for the costs of the post office box rental fee, a yearly U.S. Postal Service Return Goods Permit, and postage for the mailers. Inmetco provides assistance for designing the mailers and with setting up the program with the Ellwood City Post Office.
Inmetco tracks the number of mailers delivered to the facility. The customer is invoiced quarterly, based on the number of mailers that are received.
Currently there are five companies using the mail-back program. They are primarily computer and cellular telephone customers.
The batteries are shipped in boxes weighing approximately 20 to 70 pounds. The customer is responsible for the cost of shipping.
Inmetco keeps track of the total weight of the Ni-Cd batteries delivered to our facility. The customer is invoiced quarterly based on the total weight of Ni-Cd batteries received from all of the customer's service centers.
The reverse distribution program began in 1992. Since that time it has grown to over 100 customers. These customers include manufacturers and distributors of cellular telephones, tools/appliances, medical equipment and computers; as well as federal, state and local government agencies.
Inmetco serves over 300 customers that fall into this category. Under current federal regulations, spent nickel-cadmium batteries must be transported from facilities such as these as "hazardous waste". There are stringent regulations for packaging and transporting spent nickel-cadmium batteries as hazardous waste. Our purpose is to provide an overview of these regulations. Generators are advised to check with their federal or state environmental agency for more details on these requirements.
Large, vented cells must be shipped according to DOT regulations which are found in 49 CFR 173.159 Batteries, wet. Inmetco requires that they are stacked, banded or shrink wrapped to a pallet or shipped in DOT approved 55-gallon drums. Inmetco also requires the drums to be secured to a pallet. Some railroads ship spent batteries in DOT approved, heavy-duty, returnable, plastic tote containers.
Spent vented cell nickel-cadmium batteries often contain potassium hydroxide, which is corrosive. For this reason, containers must have the appropriate DOT "Corrosive" labels. Containers also require hazardous waste labels. The information on the label includes: proper DOT shipping name; UN or NA number; generator information (address, phone); generator EPA ID number; EPA Waste Codes; manifest document number, accumulation start date.
The U.S. EPA requires paperwork that tracks hazardous waste from the cradle to the grave. Or in the case of spent nickel-cadmium batteries, from the time a waste battery is generated until it is processed. This paper trail starts with the EPA ID number, which the generator usually gets from the state environmental agency. The number goes on the hazardous waste manifest, the key document in the hazardous waste tracking system. The generator of any hazardous waste tracking system. The generator of any hazardous waste fills in the manifest, which stays with the shipment until it is processed. Then it stays in the company and the EPA at least 30 years. Everyone who handles the waste: the generator, shipper and processor is required to sign the manifest and keep a copy. The signatures help guarantee that the wastes are classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled properly. Once the batteries have reached the processing facility, a copy is sent back to the generator. This lets the generator know that the batteries have arrived safely.
Under the current regulations, spent nickel-cadmium batteries from a generator of hazardous waste must be shipped to Inmetco by a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources licensed hazardous waste transporter. These transporters have an EPA ID number and comply with federal and state hazardous waste transporter standards.
The reduced nickel is transferred to the Electric Arc Furnace where it becomes part of a nickel, chromium and iron bath formed at nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot metal is tapped from the furnace to a 15 ton ladle. The molten metal is taken by overhead traveling crane to the casting area where it is cast into pigs weighing approximately 30 pounds. The pigs are cooled, grouped into lots of approximately 22 tons, and shipped to specialty steel producers all over the world to be used as remelt alloy to make stainless steel products. Typical metal analysis and typical metals recoveries are shown below.
TYPICAL METAL ANALYSIS Percent
Ni Cr Fe Mn Mo Cu Co S C Si P 10 14 68 1.6 1.0 0.7 0.4 0.3 3.7 0.1 0.05 TYPICAL METAL RECOVERIES Percent NI Co Cr Fe Mn 98 97 86 96 60SUMMARY Inmetco has developed several types of nickel-cadmium battery programs to serve the needs of manufacturers, distributors and users of nickel-cadmium battery powered products in the collection and processing of their spent nickel-cadmium batteries. They are the mail-back program, the reverse distribution program and the large quantity program.
Inmetco's HTMR process allows metal-bearing wastes, including spent nickel-cadmium batteries, to be recovered, reclaimed and recycled. Long-term liability is eliminated and valuable natural resources are preserved.
Last Updated: July 23, 1996