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The Pros And Cons Of Lead And Acid Battery

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The lead/acid battery has been in common use in automobiles since 1915 or so. It has plates of lead in sulphuric acid solution in water. One of the sets of lead plates is coated with lead dioxide. As such a battery discharges it creates two chemical reactions, one at the anode that ends up with an excess of electrons, and one at the cathode that ends up short electrons.

Fuel combustion is the process of where fuel is burnt that releases heat and light which is an exothermic reaction meaning it releases heat. The fuel is a hydrocarbon, which reacts with oxygen to release energy however a small amount of heat energy is needed to start fuel combustion. The products to the reaction are carbon dioxide and water.

The car battery starts its engine it also gives power needed for stabilization as well as …show more content…

The positive side to fuel combustion is that complete combustion (taking place where there is enough air) releases carbon dioxide instead of carbon monoxide (which is harmful) is produced. As it may seem as a positive aspect it still can be negative- too much can cause environmental issues such as global warming. Also carbon monoxide produced in incomplete combustion can cause smog and acid rain- which has a negative effect to the environment.

As for car batteries the energy density is twice of standard nickel cadmium. This means battery pack design are only one cell whereas if it was nickel based it may require 3 cells, which is more efficient. However the Lithium-ion in car batteries is flammable and producing the batteries require toxic materials such as nickel and copper, which can cause cancer to respiratory problems. Not only it can be a health problem but has an effect on the environment as well. The production of batteries cause resource depletion and speed up global warming due to the dangerous gases it releases when

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