Recarging Regular Alkaline Batteries
Save Money, Feel Greener and Cleverer, Save the Environment, Save Money. follow linkI already did it at my Daughters residence, took 4 regular AA alkalines and tried 2 in a aa size tungsten filament type flashlight.
I got a dull orange glow so they were perfect for trying to recharge!
I was excited. 100 minutes of charging produces a bright flashlight again.
I read somewhere that 16 hours is required making overnight charging a convenient response.
Never did I fear leakage or explosion as per warnings. (Potassium Hydroxide = alkaline)
It is a base like sodium hydroxide, can be neutralized with a simple acid like vinegar. The safety issue is solvable by keeping the charging voltage just slightly above the finished charge voltage of the taget battery (type). What this will do is slow down the charging and it will take longer. Like in driving, slow down, live longer. Please keep out of reach of pre-educated humanoids of all ages.
Today I will recheck the long recharging affects, let them go the 16 hours.
(posted next day....still going smoothly.)
Next I will figure out how to get my mouse's aaa batteries to fit in the AA recharchable battery charger. My duh! solution: just buy a charger that accomodates all types of alkaline batteries.
I am charging regular disposable AA's in a AA rechargeable charger, read it over again if you're dense!
It works FINE. It Works just fine and its exciting for saving money and the environment.
YES THERE ARE SOME SMALL SAFETY CONCERNS. and I DON'T CARE. Got it!I
:-)
Contents
[edit] Chemistry
In an alkaline battery, the anode (negative terminal) is made of zinc powder (allows more surface area for increased rate of reaction therefore increased electron flow) and the cathode (positive terminal) is composed of manganese (IV) oxide. When describing standard "AAA battery", "AA battery", "C", "sub-C" and "D" type cells, the anode is the flat end while the cathode is the end with the raised button.
Alkaline batteries are comparable to zinc-carbon batteries, but the difference is that alkaline batteries use potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an electrolyte rather than ammonium chloride or zinc chloride, have the ability to deliver more current (although not necessarily more amp-hours), and have a longer shelf-life than zinc-carbon and zinc chloride batteries.
The half-reactions are:[1]
and
[edit] Capacity
Unlike NiMH rechargeable batteries, alkaline batteries are normally not sold with a nominal capacity. Alkalines have a high internal resistance, and a high thermal coefficient of resistivity — the faster an alkaline battery is drained, the higher percentage of the load it dissipates as heat. Therefore, the capacity of an alkaline battery is strongly dependent on the load, even at moderate loads. An AA-sized alkaline battery might have an effective capacity of 3000 mAh at low power, but at a load of 1000 mA, which is common for digital cameras, the capacity could be as little as 700 mAh.[2]
[edit] Current
The amount of current an alkaline battery can deliver is roughly proportional to its physical size. This is a result of decreasing internal resistance as the internal surface area of the cell increases. A general rule of thumb is that an AA alkaline battery can deliver 1000mA without any significant heating. Larger cells, such as C and D cells, can deliver more current. Applications requiring high currents of several amps, such as high powered flashlights and boom-boxes, will require D sized cells to handle the increased load. Volume for volume, alkaline batteries have inferior current handling capacity when compared to other chemistries like NiCd and NiMH. However, alkaline batteries cost significantly less.
[edit] Recharging of alkaline batteries
Recharging of alkaline batteries is uncommon, but possible. When recharging an alkaline cell one must take into account 3 factors: Charging current, termination voltage and cell temperature. An alkaline cell can be safely charged with a constant current source of 100mA or more. The termination voltage should not exceed 1.5 Volts per cell. An ideal charging circuit will supervise cell temperature while charging.
Over time, alkaline batteries are prone to leaking potassium hydroxide, a caustic agent that can cause respiratory, eye and skin irritation. This can be avoided by not attempting to recharge alkaline cells, not mixing different battery types in the same device, replacing all of the batteries at the same time, storing in a dry place, and removing batteries from devices for storage.
[edit] Disposal
Unlike other types of batteries, Alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the regular trash in some locations. [3][4] The state of California, however, has made it illegal to throw alkaline batteries in the trash.[5] In Europe the battery disposal is controlled by the WEEE regulations, and as such alkaline batteries must not be thrown in with domestic waste. They should be disposed through local recycling stations / waste dumps. In the EU also most stores which sell batteries (i.e. supermarkets) can be used to dispose old batteries because they are required by law to recycle old batteries.
ALKALINE RECHARGE
From : Greg Hoole 9:2500/0 Fri 25 Feb 94 20:46
To : Ted Thompson
Subj : Buddy-l Alkaline Recharge
The Eveready charger seems to only work with their own brand of "special"
alkalines, read "expensive".. I saw some posts here where people have said
that they have successfully recharged regular alkalines on them, but I
haven't seen it done.
Take a piece of tin foil and tightly wrap it around the positive end of
your standard Alkaline Battery. Then insert it into the charger and
jiggle it until the red light, lights. If you look at regular alkaline
batteries they have a plastic insulator around the outer edge of the
positive end. The alkaline rechargables are metal and do not have the
insulator.
The recharging unit has side contacts that contact the outer
edge of the rechargable batteries therefore recharging them. I have had
very good success at recharging standard alkaline batteries but I did
have one that ruptured and did inturn leak. So becareful!
Greg
Said Greg Hoole to Ted Thompson on the Lord's Day 25 Feb 94 20:46
regarding Buddy-l Alkaline Recharge:
I have had very good success at recharging standard alkaline batteries
but I did have one that ruptured and did inturn leak. So becareful!
hmnn.. so the Eveready "microprocessor controlled charge" is just a buncha
hokey that can be bypassed w/ tin foil?.. interesting..
As far as the Buddy-L, I have had good results from it, depending on the
condition of the battery being charged.. ie: it will charge a lightly
discharged battery to better than factory voltage (as much as 1.56v), but
if you recharge one that's nearly dead, it will bring it to 1.36v to 1.48v,
not quite factory voltage, but still better than Nicads or dry-cells...
I am sure that the micro-processor does what it says. Its the batteries that
are a scam, its all in the design of the posative end of the battery. I will
see if I can draw it here.
NORMAL BATTERY
___/----\___ l l <--plastic insulator
l l wraps up and around to
the top of the battery
Rayovac Rechargable Batter
___/----\___ l l The Rayovac has no plastic
insulator l l around the top of the battery. there fore
using the sides of the battery for the posotive connection of the charging
system.
All the Rayovac Batteries that I recharge give off the same smell (gas) when
being recharged as do the normal alkalines do that I recharge using the quote foil method.
Greg
Ted,
I concur. Actually, any battery can be recharged. The trick is to
do it slowly. Most types of batteries will heat up and be permanently
damaged if recharged too slowly. The active chemicals in batteries must
be in a liquid, or semi-liquid state. If a battery is allowed to dry
out it will not function. Too high a rate of charge will also cause gas
to form at the center element (electrode) and increase the resistance in
the battery preventing it from charging until the gas dissipates.
This can be readily be seen in an automotive battery. Gas can form so
rapidly that the bubbles can be seen in the electrolyte and forming on
the plates. When this happens water must be added to keep the battery
serviceable.
The problem is how can you replace the water in a carbon-zinc or
alkaline battery. Also, what is the service life of a recharged
battery? In the case of a carbon-zinc battery the discharge rate of a
nearly dead battery is greater than the maximum charge rate. The
battery will literally go dead while it is being recharged.
In a survival situation it may be worth the effort to try this.
Any battery is better than none at all. Jerry
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