My car's battery died last month and it's been sitting the trunk since. Is there a way to revive dead car batteries? If not, is there a recycling center I can drop it off at?
My car's battery died last month and it's been sitting the trunk since. Is there a way to revive dead car batteries? If not, is there a recycling center I can drop it off at?
No
Not Yet
Hong Kong's first lead acid battery recycling centre | Press Releases | Asia | Sustainable Business
Usually the garage that swaps it will take it as they get a few dollars for the recycling value. Try and talk to your local garage.
Lead/Acid batteries don't burn. Don't confuse them with Lipo. I think a car battery is around $1000 or so, depending on size and brand.
When I went to fire up the summer car this past spring, it wouldn't. Long story short, the diagnosis was a dead battery. Usually when a 12 volt (lead acid) car battery drops below 10 or 11 volts, it's considered "dead" but salvageable by simply charging it. (ie, jumpstart & let the alternator charge or use external charger)
I disconnected mine and placed a voltmeter across it to get a proper reading. Mine read zero volts. Deeply discharged (car) batteries are damaged to the point of being a lost cause.
If the HK car isn't a daily driver and might be subject to sitting around with the battery undergoing long-term parasitic drain (car alarm, dash clock, etc, etc) it might be a good idea to get an AGM car battery instead of the more common Lead-Acid variety. Absorbed-Glass-Mat types are designed to withstand a deep discharge. They tend to cost 30-40% more, but that'll pay for itself if it avoids the scenario of having to buy another battery that got destroyed by a deep discharge.
It's said that if you add some Epsom Salts to a slightly tired lead/acid battery, it can keep it going for another year. I don't know if that works but you'd still need to charge it anyway.
To dispose of the acid, you can use baking soda to neutralize it.
Another option would be to convert it to a Alum/lead battery but again, this would require a battery charger. Alum is much safer than acid, and it is also used as a deodorant/ food preservative.
Why would you discharge the acid separately from the battery? And in any case, car batteries are often sealed. There is nothing to add/take out anymore.
For the dead ones, if you have access to a lead/acid charger no harm to try it. And take care the charge is set to 12 V, I lost a battery because one bright person set it to 24V (truck batteries). 12V batteries don't like that.
Most [if not all] sealed lead/acid batteries can be easily un-sealed just by removing the cap/caps with a leaver.
If you cannot find a recycling plant for your old battery and you don't want to keep it forever or you just want to dump it on the street, you might feel better about yourself if you neutralized the corrosive acid that might harm people etc. There should be space in the battery to add the baking soda [I think] but if you wish to convert to an Alum/lead battery you would need to dispose of the acid separately.
I recommend you do more research on the matter if any of my suggestions appeal.