New research reveals dangerous levels of lead in informal solar battery recycling in Malawi and calls for urgent reforms in waste management.
Researchers at the University of Manchester have found dangerous levels of lead pollution in Malawi due to informal lead recycling.acid Batteries from off-grid solar systems. Common informal recycling activities for lead batteries used in solar energy systems have been found to release 3.5 to 4.7 kg of lead pollution from a typical battery, which is more than 100 times the lethal oral lead dose for an adult. These findings were recently published in the journal Applied Energy.
Growing demand and risks of off-grid solar energy
Off-grid solar technologies are being deployed to power areas without traditional grid connection and are critical to 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, subsidised by global energy companies in the Global North, including the UK. In sub-Saharan Africa, household-scale off-grid solar energy systems mostly rely on lead-acid batteries as the cheapest and most established energy storage technology.
However, scientists warn that the lack of formal waste management infrastructure poses significant risks to human health and the environment and requires immediate government intervention.
“The private market for off-grid solar products is a very effective way to increase access to electricity, which is critical for sustainable development. However, the resulting stream of toxic waste is growing rapidly in regions that do not have the infrastructure to safely dispose of e-waste,” said lead researcher Dr Christopher Kinally, who conducted the study as part of his PhD at the University of Manchester.
“Without the development of infrastructure, legislation and education around these technologies, there are significant risks to public health. For these solar products to be considered a safe, low-carbon technology in sub-Saharan Africa, significant social, economic and legislative action is needed.”
Urgent need for sustainable waste practices
Toxic, informal waste disposal practices are widespread in low- and middle-income countries for car batteries and e-waste, yet the environmental and health impacts of these practices have been largely overlooked. Now, efforts to promote sustainable development and access to electricity are adding to these life-threatening waste streams.
Kinally reported that in suburbs in Malawi, lead batteries from solar energy systems are being openly reconditioned on busy market streets by self-taught technicians who are unaware of the toxicity of the materials they are handling.
He found that batteries are being broken open with machetes, lead is being melted over charcoal stoves, and improvised lead battery cells are being made by hand. This process releases about half of the lead content of each battery into the environment, releasing the equivalent of more than 100 lethal oral doses of lead from a single battery in densely populated communities.
These are the first data to quantify lead pollution from the informal recycling of lead batteries from solar energy systems.
Dr Alejandro Gallego Schmid, PhD lead supervisor and 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 such as solar energy, but the lack of appropriate treatment of batteries at the end of their life. We urgently need further research to uncover the health impacts of the identified flows of toxic pollutants from solar batteries.”
Consequences of lead pollution and the need for political intervention
Lead is a powerful neurotoxin and even 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 suffer from lead poisoning. This widespread lead pollution is largely due to improperly disposed car battery waste and is expected to have significant health and economic impacts in countries in the Global South, yet continues to be overlooked.
Previous publications by the research team also highlight a general lack of supplier accountability in the private off-grid solar market. They also found that low-quality, short-life and counterfeit off-grid solar products are widespread in Malawi and exploit vulnerable populations affected by energy poverty.
Lack of education about the construction and use of these solar energy systems, which are particularly vulnerable to damage from improper use, also significantly limits the lifespan of batteries in off-grid solar energy systems.
In Malawi, batteries were found to often fail within a year, much sooner than the expected lifespan of 3-5 years, accelerating the flow of toxic waste. At the same time, the environmental impacts (including carbon emissions) from the manufacture and replacement of short-lived lead batteries undermine the sustainability and environmental benefits of solar energy systems.
Dr. Fernando Antoñanzas, PhD co-supervisor, added: “This study sheds more light on the maintenance and end-of-life phases of small-scale off-grid solar projects, which are actually overlooked in most collaborative projects. While informal lead battery recycling offers a short-term solution to electrify the poorest, it simultaneously poses a huge risk to public health across sub-Saharan Africa.”
The research team has also made policy recommendations for waste management solutions, including changes in the way solar energy companies receive investment from the UK and developing countries.
Reference: “Life Cycle Analysis of Informal Waste Management Practices for Solar Home Systems in Malawi” by Christopher Kinally, Fernando Antonanzas-Torres, Frank Podd and Alejandro Gallego-Schmid, 16 April 2024, Applied Energy.
DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123190
This research was funded by the EPSRC.
