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From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: sci.energy,sci.environment,sci.chem,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: EDTA and lead acid cells
Message-ID: <1991Jan15.031150.12203@engage.enet.dec.com>
Date: 15 Jan 91 03:03:41 GMT
Sender: news@engage.enet.dec.com (USENET News System)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
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In article <1991Jan14.185450.24785@amd.com>, phil@brahms.amd.com (Phil Ngai) writes...
>I just saw a magazine called "Home Power", with an article about
>sulphated lead acid cells. They claim you can rejuvenate them by
>putting a few teaspoons of EDTA in. Does this seem reasonable,
>or just hippie-dippie mumble jumble?
> 

An automotive club's newsletter I get mentioned the exact same thing,
prolonging the life of a battery with EDTA.  The EDTA apparently locks up lead
ions as they're formed before they can form the lead sulfate that ruins
batteries. The EDTA apparently isn't that stable in the acid environment of a
battery, but the article claims that isn't really a problem since the lead
sulfate forms tends to fall to the bottom of the battery rather than on the
plates, and the EDTA can do its job again.

I have some weak batteries to experiment with, if I can get the stuff, I'll
try it.

-Mike