Recycling extends life of lead, helps meet demand for vital natural resource

Lead’s value has been clear for thousands of years. But as the global economy expands, how will we meet future demand for this valuable natural resource? Doe Run’s Buick Resource Recycling Division (BRRD) is one part of the solution.

Fifteen years ago, BRRD opened in Boss, Mo. It’s now one of the largest single-site lead recycling facilities in the world.

The results of BRRD’s recovery and recycling efforts are significant: BRRD can produce 160,000 tons of “second generation” lead, returning this important metal to battery manufacturers and others for a new generation of products.

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Doe Run earns top billing on television, steals show in safety competitions

A rising global star, The Doe Run Company often sets the stage for the lead industry. The company secured several starring roles in 2008, earning top billing in two national educational television programs, as well as taking a bow in several safety competitions.

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Lead-acid batteries demonstrate extraordinary potential for hybrid vehicles

With more hybrid vehicles hitting the road, there will soon be new meaning for the old saying “putting the pedal to the metal.” That’s because lead is geared up to become a metal of choice for batteries that power the next revolution of automobiles.

“Lead-acid batteries are found in most internal combustion engine vehicles, but that does not guarantee a comparable role in the future,” said Bruce Neil, president and chief executive officer of The Doe Run Company. “The technology used in conventional cars today is also well-suited for the hybrids of tomorrow.”

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A roundtable discussion on the second life of lead-acid batteries and computer monitors.

There’s an ongoing need to responsibly recycle items that contain lead, especially products like spent lead-acid batteries and old computer monitors. Neighbors spoke with Steve Arnold, general manager of Doe Run’s Buick Resource Recycling Division (BRRD); Jim Lanzafame, environmental manager for BRRD; and Lou Magdits, Doe Run’s director of raw materials, to get their insights on lead recycling.

PHOTO CAPTION: Doe Run opened the Buick Resource Recycling Division in 1991 and has steadily increased the amount of lead-bearing material it recycles each year. In 1998, the facility began accepting and recovering lead from cathode-ray tube (CRT) glass, which is gaining recycling momentum as consumers upgrade to flat-screen computer monitors and televisions.

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Though lead is the primary resource extracted from lead-acid batteries at the Buick Resource Recycling Division (BRRD), the recycling process and technology also yields approximately 1,200 tons of sodium sulfate, or salt, per month.

To meet certification standards set forth by multiple manufacturing industries, a licensed rabbi from the Chicago Rabbinical Council, a certification organization, visits BRRD each year to ensure the salt-creation process and raw materials are consistent with kosher requirements.

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Employees at BRRD gave back to their neighboring communities in 2007.

• Doe Run shared science facts with attendees at the “Fall Rocks!” event in Park Hills, Mo.; and, employees helped staff the 2007 Old Miner’s Day Celebration in Viburnum, Mo.
• BRRD, along with SEMO, donated $50,000 to the Iron County Hospital’s Tree of Life fund.
• The facility hosted tours and supported Doe Run’s hands-on minerals education program.
• BRRD also holds annual open houses for employees and their families.