There are things we don't notice, but a lot depends on them in our lives. Let's take a closer look to the car battery. There is a reason.
The lead from childhood
Once in Brest, near the railway bridge was a great dump non-ferrous metals. Students sometimes we went there in search of magnesium from aircraft wheels, and brought the lead to drag. And industrial landfills on the outskirts of the city to find the old battery was not the problem. Current students may not know what it's like on the fire to melt the lead, and then it molds to pour... Perhaps, well that the modern students is not available: in the city clean, and where to collect non-ferrous metal, outsiders do not get.
And now let us ask ourselves a question and try to answer it: how much Belarus car batteries?
The simplest answer — how many cars, so many batteries. Statistics show that citizens in property was three million cars. Let us add here trucks, buses, tractors from the villagers, tanks and fighting vehicles in the military... it is Unlikely that we are fundamentally mistaken if we call the figure of four million.
And what is the battery life? Warranty is normally 24 months. But may work longer. If it is assumed that every owner will carry, one battery is needed for four years.
So, in Belarus the demand in lead-acid batteries — one million per year. And where do they come from? Again — where every year 1 million happens to old batteries?
Import — 874 thousand per year
Belstat knows everything. Every year publish CBEDenia on the export and import all items. Take a look and find the line "Imports of lead batteries for motor vehicles". Our highly approximate calculation immediately find confirmation.
Here is information for 2016: imported 874 thousand pieces of 36.8 million dollars, at an average price of $ 42 apiece. Of them, the EU provides 515 thousand, but most of all Poland — 376 thousand.
Results for 2017 have not yet announced, but there is evidence for ten months:
775 thousand in the amount of 38.4 million dollars, at an average price 49.5 USD apiece.
From EU countries received 457 thousand. But the lion's share again came from Poland — 329 thousand.
Here we completely leave aside the topic of alternative "green" energy. Fans traditionally avoid the question, how much lead batteries with solar cells for the fields.
Where flows the lead?
Now a few words about where does the lead from used batteries. Now been established a fairly coherent system of collection and recycling of secondary raw materials, depth of processing increases. Garbage is sometimes called the "oil of the XXI century". We have successfully works best in Belarus factory on processing of garbage. As for non-ferrous metals — go to the street Dvornikova and turn in the old battery, where it will take money and pay. There are in Brest and private enterprises that accept old batteries to offset the cost of new. The names of these firms do not give. In this case we draw only a General picture, as the cycle of lead in nature.
We can assume that if almost a million of Accumolitorov we imported, probably, lead take?
So. Look at the same reports the national statistics Committee and read: in 2016, the export took 8981 ton to 1820 dollars per ton. Two major customers: Poland — 4857 tonnes and the UK — 3443.
Was curious, how many batteries can we draw from this lead. Again, a bit round, to clarify the point. A conventional battery 55 upercase weighs approximately 15 pounds of clean lead in about three kilo in joints — about ten.
It turns out that out of lead, which is exported, you can do almost 700 thousand batteries. It will significantly block a forced import. So why not we do?
Adam Smith knew everything...
It is appropriate to recall "Eugene Onegin". Was there a bright line in which the author described the intellectual abilities of your hero:
He Scolded Homer, Of Theocritus;
But read Adam Smith
And there was a deep economy,
It is able to judge
As the state gets richer,
And the lives and why
You do not need gold to him,
When the product is simple.
As you can see, and Pushkin something about the economic disputes of the era heard. Yes, it was Adam Smith proved that the state should deal with the processing of raw materials, then it will get more profit. Specify only this detail: it is advised for the UK. But the young American States, which was trying to get out from under British tutelage, he categorically did not advise to do it. States he recommended to focus on the export of raw materials to the metropolis, and even there it will turn into dear products.
I remembered the 90s, the beginning of which I spent in Lithuania. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, young Baltic States suddenly became the largest exporters of the metal. Cheap raw materials gave second wind to the engineering industry in Sweden and Germany.
A similar situation now and in some neighbouring States. Ukraine has provided the EU not only cheap labor, I rushed to the trains with wood and metal. Enterprising — won, far — lost.
Now, let's not blame just those processes it is necessary to see beyond the political chatter. And then it's time to move on to Brest.
Plumbum went into politics
The first week of the new year was marked by informational noise, which was heard on the Eastern outskirts of the city. Whether fireworks, someone else woke up, whether the bile from the feast, leaped, but someone suddenly noticed that in FEZ "Brest" building a plant for the production of automotive batteries. And this news is already almost two years. Who does not believe — "Google" in the help.
This theme was picked up by media Stroymechanika batteries to us, which is not surprising. But then, how about this speculation and the deliberate exaggeration of our superficial critics, is impressive. Already found a candidate in the upcoming local elections, to intimidate the citizens the lead. A month ago neither sleep nor spirit did not know about the topic — and that caught fire...
I remembered that when plastic Windows won the market, competitors"derevenski" frightened audience: "for the production of plastic used lead". Yes, like used. What?
With the theme of the construction of a battery factory near Brest artificialbut "sewn" a new plant for the production of pulp and paperboard in Soligorsk. He's only doing the first steps, but who will hit the paper import and export of forest raw materials! Adam Smith, if it were the UK, would have approved. But we would advise something else: "Why do you need to produce batteries and paper? Sell us the wood and the lead, then we buy the finished products." It can be assumed that future enterprise for the production of biological additives for agriculture, much of which is still imported, also cause a lot of accusations.
Another is to recall the information noise around the NPP. Similar situation — over escalating fears hiding the mistakes of our neighbors.
Note that the need to comply with environmental requirements and established procedures discuss projects exist objectively. But behind the attractive slogans about the environment clean can hide as ignorance and fierce competition among States.
Valery HOE