From: Francisco Claudio/R2/USEPA/US 

 To: Chuck French/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA 

 Cc: Raymond Werner/R2/USEPA/US@EPA, Teresita Rodriguez/R2/USEPA/US@EPA, John 

 Aponte/R2/USEPA/US@EPA, Evelyn Rivera-Ocasio/R2/USEPA/US@EPA 

 Date: 06/21/2011 10:08 AM 

 Subject: Battery Recycling-Arecibo 

 

Mr. French: 

We have been contacted by our NY Office to provide you with information regarding the facility known as 

The Battery Recycling Company located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. We will be sending you via email as 

much information as possible related with stack test, description, assessments and any electronic file 

available. In case of hard copies, we definitely need your address. 

We will send several files since some are big in size. 

The first pdf file is a RCRA photo album of the facility. 

Francisco Claudio 

Environmental Engineer 

Multimedia Permits and Compliance Branch 

(787)-977-5841 

Fax- (787)-289-7104 

AWL-(Tuesday/Thursday Afternoon)-(787)-524-0933(See attached file: The Battery Recycling Co Low 

Res Inspection Photo Album 28 March 2011.pdf) 
THE BATTERY RECYCLING CO. 

ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO

INSPECTION #3 PHOTO ALBUM

28 MARCH 2011

U.S. EPA by Region 2 DECA-RCB (Carl Plössl)
Front entrance and offices, The Battery Recycling Company, AKA 

Arecibo Battery, PR-2 km 72.2, Barrio Cambalache, Arecibo, PR 

00612
Respirator station. Note: visitors and employees only wore 

respirators or filter masks in the direct vicinity of the lead smelting 

operations.
Employee check in station.
Check in station.
Locker room and laundry renovation.
Current laundry area.
Leaving the locker room and laundry renovation. Luis Figueroa, 

President, in background.
Current locker room w/shower at far end.
Current locker room to laundry pass-thru.
UPS truck in operations area. Note: visitors and employees only 

wore respirators or filter masks in the direct vicinity of the lead 

smelting operations.
Entering the lead smelting operations building. Note: visitors and 

employees only wore respirators or filter masks in the direct 

vicinity of the lead smelting operations.
Material storage in lead smelting operations building. 
Material storage in lead smelting operations building. Note: 

“arsenico” (arsenic), used in refining lead.
Material storage in lead smelting operations building. Note: soda 

ash for furnace. 
Lead smelting operations building. Furnace in the background to the 

right of the opening, refining kettles to the right (middle ground), lead 

ingot molds and slag/dross in the foreground. Lighting was fairly bright 

from both sunlight and overhead HI lighting (appears darker in photo). 
Lead smelting operations building: refining kettles.
Lead smelting operations building: lead ingot molds and slag/dross. 

Behind are baghouse dust drums. The battery breaker conveyor is 

visible in the background. 
Lead smelting operations building: open, unlabeled drums of K069 

furnace flue dust (~210-gal baghouse dust drums). 
Lead smelting operations building: furnace mixing station. Note: 

camera flash (strobe) reflections from dust.
Lead smelting operations building: dross from kettles.

DROSS

SLAG

REFINED 

LEAD
Lead smelting operations building: battery breaking operation across 

from wet lead oxide and damp lead oxide piles. Note: camera flash 

(strobe) reflections from dust.
Lead smelting operations building: furnace mixing station. Note: 

camera flash (strobe) reflections from dust. 
Lead smelting operations building: floor between battery breaking 

operation and wet lead oxide and damp lead oxide piles. Note: 

camera flash (strobe) reflections from dust.
Lead smelting operations building: shoveling out dross/slag from 

kettles. Note: dust above metal bin.
Lead smelting operations building: shoveling out dross/slag from 

kettles. Note: dust above metal bin.
Lead smelting operations building: shoveling out dross/slag from 

kettles. Note: dust above metal bin.
Lead smelting operations building: Furnaces (smelters). Note: 

camera flash (strobe) reflections from dust.
Lead smelting operations building: Plastic waste from battery 

breaking/crushing ops. Note: camera flash (strobe) reflections from 

dust.
Lead smelting operations building: Plastic waste from battery 

breaking/crushing ops. Note: fine material/dust.
Lead smelting operations building: Staging/storage area for waste 

batteries for recovery.
Lead smelting operations building: Staging/storage area for waste 

batteries for recovery. NiCad storage area to right of photo (Facility 

reports having found company to accept NiCads).
Lead smelting operations building: Staging/storage area for waste 

batteries for recovery. Unlabeled industrial batteries.
Behind the lead smelting operations 

building, north side air pollution 

control, open baghouse. Note: 

camera flash (strobe) reflections 

from dust.
Behind the lead smelting operations building, north side air 

pollution control, open baghouse with drum inside. 
Behind the lead smelting operations building, north side air pollution 

control, open baghouse with drum inside. 
Behind the lead smelting operations building, north side air 

pollution control, open baghouse with drum inside. Note: camera 

flash (strobe) reflections from dust.
Behind the lead smelting operations building, north side air pollution 

control, open baghouse with drum inside. 
Behind the lead smelting operations building and north side air 

pollution control area: stormwater/wastewater drainage collection 

basins/tanks and pumping system (east side). EQB Officer, Frances 

M. Segarra Román, taking notes.
Behind the lead smelting operations building and north side air 

pollution control area: stormwater/wastewater drainage collection 

basins/tanks and pumping system (east side). New drainage 

conveyance just constructed.
Stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (east side). 
Stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (east side). 
Stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (east side). New drainage conveyance just 

constructed with flow off property to east.
Stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (east side). New drainage conveyance just 

constructed with flow off property to east.
Facility, as viewed from east.
Facility, as viewed from east. Note: baghouse remained open.
New construction along north east. Tanks are used oil storage.
Northern property boundary, looking west.
Looking thru northern property boundary fence: hoof print.
Northern property boundary, looking west.
Northern property boundary, looking west. Lime sludge management 

with heavy equipment.
Along northern property boundary, behind wastewater treatment 

operations. Lime sludge management with heavy equipment. Note: 

operator without respirator and open cab.
Along northern property boundary, behind wastewater treatment 

operations. Lime sludge management with heavy equipment. 
Along northern property boundary, behind wastewater treatment 

operations. Lime sludge management with heavy equipment. 
Across northwestern property boundary: blockhouse, said by Mr. 

Rosello to be old AAA pump building.
New stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (northwest corner). 
New stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (northwest corner). Drainage conveyance to 

property boundary.
Across northwestern property boundary: blockhouse, said by Mr. 

Rosello to be old AAA pump building.
Across northwestern property boundary: blockhouse, said by Mr. 

Rosello to be old AAA pump building.
Along western property boundary: coal storage.
New stormwater/wastewater drainage collection basins/tanks and 

pumping system (northwest corner). Drainage conveyance to 

property boundary.
View from northwest corner. WWT to left, slag storage to right.
Arsenic storage cans.
Slag storage.
Slag storage.
Front gate to operations area. Offices to left, cafeteria to right. 

Operations employees exit facility thru small gate just to the left of 

the main gate.
Battery Recycling parking lot. Operations employees exit facility thru 

small gate just to the left of the main gate. Strong wind blowing from 

east to west throughout inspection. Dust was visibly blown in both 

operations and parking lot areas.