Manganese, nickel, cadmium, zinc, titanium are not all elements of the Periodic Table that are used to make a battery. It was still believed that one finger battery contaminates 20 m2 of land. But this data was not scientifically proven. All-Ukrainian movement «Batteries, Give up!» decided to change it. The initiators chose the most popular energy sources and gave them to the laboratory of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
For the whole month batteries were examined at the Department of Ecological Safety and Nature Protection Activity of Lviv Polytechnic. The experiment was put on salt and alkaline accumulators. At first there was determined their content.
– In general it contains zinc electrolyte and nickel filler. We will use the nickel filler for the experiment. We use quite a bit of our material for the research, says Anna Hyvliud, Assistant at the Department of Ecological Safety and Nature Protection Activity.
A special analyzer shows a small amount of sodium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium and titanium inside the battery.
– This is within the observational error, so we do not take it into account. But the obvious presence of nickel, iron, manganese and zinc shows these unacceptable quantities can get into the environment, said Nadiia Koval, Leading Specialist at the Department of Ecological Safety and Nature Protection Activity of Lviv Polytechnic.
Next, scientists put a whole and a damaged battery into water for five days. Then they watered with it cress seeds, which then planted into steamed soil. The plant, watered with ordinary water, emerged, But the water where the batteries were killed the cress.
The worst result was produced by damaged battery. We even observed the seeds under a microscope, as they did not grow at all, said Mariia Ruda, Assistant at the Department of Ecological Safety and Nature Protection Activity.
The results of the research, conducted by scientists, were stunning. It turned out that one finger battery, which each of us has, contaminates 16 m2 of land. This means that in such a soil, even weeds cannot grow and we need at least 50 years to restore this land.
All-Ukrainian movement «Batteries, Give up!» ordered this study from Lviv Polytechnic.