New research reveals dangerous levels of lead from Malawi’s informal solar battery recycling, calling for urgent reforms in waste management.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have identified dangerous levels of lead pollution in Malawi due to informal lead recycling-acid batteries from off-grid solar systems. Typical informal recycling activities for lead-acid batteries used in solar energy systems have been recorded to release 3.5-4.7 kg of lead pollution from a typical battery, equivalent to more than 100 times the lethal oral dose of lead for an adult. These findings were recently published in the journal Applied Energy.
Growing Demand and Risks of Off-Grid Solar Power
Off-grid solar technologies are used to provide electricity in areas without a traditional grid connection and are crucial for expanding access to electricity across sub-Saharan Africa. The private market for off-grid solar electrification technologies is expected to provide access to electricity to hundreds of millions of people by 2030, financed by global energy companies in the Global North, including the UK. In sub-Saharan Africa, household off-grid solar energy systems are largely dependent on lead-acid batteries as the most affordable and established energy storage technology.
However, scientists warn that the lack of formal waste management infrastructure presents major risks to human health and the environment and requires urgent government intervention.
“The private market for off-grid solar products is a very effective way to increase access to electricity, which is essential for sustainable development. However, the resulting flow of toxic waste is growing rapidly in the region without the infrastructure to safely manage electronic waste,” said lead researcher Dr. Christopher Kinally, who carried out studies for his PhD at The University of Manchester.
“Without the development of infrastructure, legislation and education around these technologies, there are serious risks to public health. Significant social, economic and legislative interventions are required for these solar products to be considered which is a safe, low-carbon technology in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Urgent Need for Sustainable Waste Practices
Toxic informal waste management practices are known to be common for automotive batteries and electronic waste in low- and middle-income countries, but the environmental and health impacts of these practices are widely unknown. noticed. Today, efforts to promote sustainable development and access to electricity add to these life-threatening waste streams.
Kinally recorded that within suburban communities in Malawi, lead-acid batteries from solar energy systems are being openly refurbished on busy market streets by self-taught technicians, unaware of the toxicity of the materials they handle.
He learned that batteries were opened with machetes, lead was melted in charcoal cooking stoves, and improvised lead battery cells were made by hand. In the process, about half of the lead content from each battery was leaked into the surrounding environment, releasing the equivalent of more than 100 lethal oral lead doses from a single battery into populated communities.
This is the first data to identify lead pollution from the informal recycling of lead-acid batteries from solar energy systems.
Dr. Alejandro Gallego Schmid, main PhD supervisor and Senior Lecturer in Circular Economy and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment at The University of Manchester, added: “The problem is not the use of a renewable source like solar energy, but the lack of appropriate treatment of end-of-life batteries. We urgently need more research to demonstrate the health effects of the identified toxic pollution streams from solar batteries.”
Consequences of Lead Pollution and the Need for Policy Intervention
Lead is a powerful neurotoxin, and very low levels of lead exposure can permanently affect a child’s brain development. UNICEF estimates that 800 million children in low- and middle-income countries have lead poisoning. This widespread lead pollution is largely driven by the poor management of vehicle battery waste and is expected to have significant health and economic impacts across the Global South but continues to be overlooked.
Previous publications from the research team also highlight that the private off-grid solar market suffers from general supplier irresponsibility and that substandard, short-lived, and counterfeit off-grid solar products have been found to be common in Malawi, which exploits poor energy- poor populations.
The lack of education about how to build and use these solar energy systems, which are particularly vulnerable to damage from improper use, severely limits the lifespan of batteries in off-grid solar energy systems.
Batteries in Malawi have been recorded to often fail within a year, which is shorter than the 3-5 year expected lifetime, accelerating the flow of toxic waste. Meanwhile, environmental impacts (including carbon emissions) from manufacturing and replacing short-term lead-acid batteries compromise the sustainability and environmental benefits of solar energy systems.
Dr. added. Fernando Antoñanzas, PhD co-supervisor: “This study sheds more light on the maintenance and end-of-life phases of small off-grid solar projects, which are really left unattended to most collaborative projects. While informal lead-acid battery recycling offers a short-term solution for electrification for the poorest, at the same time, represents an enormous risk to public health throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
The research team also provided policy recommendations for waste management solutions, including changes to how solar energy companies receive investments from the UK and Global North.
Reference: “Life cycle assessment of informal solar home system waste management practices in Malawi” by Christopher Kinally, Fernando Antonanzas-Torres, Frank Podd and Alejandro Gallego-Schmid, 16 April 2024, Applied Energy.
DOI: 10.1016/j.aenergy.2024.123190
This research was funded by the EPSRC.
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