Lithium vs. Alkaline Batteries: What’s the Difference and Which One Lasts Longer?

Introduction

Lithium and Alkaline are the two primary battery types. Each battery has different strengths and limitations. Using the wrong one can significantly shorten the life of you and your gadgets battery. In this article, we are going to give you a reasonable comparison between lithium batteries vs. alkaline batteries and some consideration criteria to help you make a choice between them based on comparison, cost, durability, and application.

What Are Lithium and Alkaline Batteries?

A lithium battery makes use of Li as the main element and incorporates with CoO to form LiCoO2 or iron phosphate to form LiFePO4 as the cathode. This combination operates conveniently to make the battery work effectively and reliably during discharge or charge cycles.

Different lithium batteries include rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (commonly used in smartphones, electronic items, and vehicles because of their long lifespans and lightweight), lithium iron phosphate batteries (primarily used for solar energy storage services with their relatively high reliability and safety), and non-rechargeable lithium batteries (usually remain active for a long period, making them suitable for medical equipment, sensors, watches, and camera, etc.)

An alkaline battery generates electricity through the reduction of the MnO2 cathode and the oxidation of the Zn anode process is called electrolysis These sorts of batteries are generally cheap, very short life span and degradation while use of voltage.

What Are The Main Differences?

There are many differences between lithium and alkaline batteries such as:

• Energy density
• Composition
• Nominal voltage
• Cost and many more

Lithium batteries can store a much larger amount of energy in the battery which is also known as “High-Energy Density”. In comparison to a lithium battery, alkaline batteries are low-density batteries, and it drains more quickly than other batteries when used on similar tasks, therefore when not in use as a high intensive energy usage alkaline batteries are ideal for low-drain devices.

The next measure for alkaline versus lithium is the size and the weight of a battery which play a significant role in its practical applications. Lithium batteries are normally lighter in weight and offer a. practical solution for hand carrying and daily use devices. With this benefit, the lithium battery solution provides more portability, lightness, and convenience for people who carry gadgets like laptops, digital cameras, drones, and mobile phones. While alkaline batteries are heavier because of their composition, and thus can not be fit for devices such as laptop, cameras or mobiles instead they are best for low energy drain applications like wall clocks, gaming devices, music players, etc.

Technical Showdown of Lithium vs. Alkaline Batteries

A third indicator for lithium battery vs alkaline is measured by voltage consistency. Lithium battery maintains the voltage level pretty much constant and steady during its operating time whereas alkaline battery is gradually weakened during its application period and shows a voltage decline in device performances. Due to this feature, an alkaline battery may be depleted sooner than many end users realize.

Additionally, shelf-life and self-discharge aspects define the battery performance over time when it comes to comparing lithium battery vs alkaline battery.  Lithium batteries have the longest shelf life as high as 12 years and a low self-discharge rate of 2% per month. An alkaline battery has a minimum shelf life of five to seven years and has a three to five percent self-discharge rate which is way higher than lithium batteries.

Cost or pricing is another important factor in customer mind when choosing a battery. In cost terms, alkaline batteries are much cheaper than lithium batteries and the reason behind is simply because alkaline batteries are mass-produced (partially due to their non-rechargeable nature), which means that the more they are produced, the cheaper they get. In almost every store you go to, there are plenty of alkaline battery packs available within your reach. On the other hand, lithium batteries are quite often expensive when we first purchase them due to the fact that a lithium battery’s initial cost is 2-3 times more than an alkaline battery.

However, if you compare two of these types of batteries based on energy-saving cost, frequency in use, lifespan usage, cost-effectiveness, and value for the money, the lithium battery outweighs the alkaline batteries. For example, with respect to the overall money consumed on the batteries for high-drain devices, lithium battery seems to be a long-lasting and cost-effective solution for users because they produce more power with low replacement cost, and their recharging functionality makes devices remain active for an extensive period of time.

You can find some answers to questions such as “What is longest lasting battery alkaline or lithium?” or “Which battery provides the best bang for the buck?” from the table below:

Lithium vs Alkaline Batteries Cost Comparison

As for lithium batteries, careful handling has to be required so the common risks associated with the battery should be avoided such as overheating or swelling. As for the alkaline batteries, the common issue is its leakage and it can even happen without you using it because it is prone to leak due to its composition and packaging. If a such battery leaks, not to mention it can damage your device, it also be harmful to the place where it is stored.

Above mentioned issues along with other important points are summarized below in the table that can help us understand the pros and cons of using either lithium or alkaline batteries.

Choosing the Right Battery for Your Needs

To pick between lithium or alkaline batteries, you should consider factors such as:

• The technical requirements of your devices
• How often they are used
• Your budget constraints, and many more factors.

In cases like digital cameras, drones, medical equipment, other electronic devices, or energy backup systems that demand sustained safety, high-drain usage, and high-power sources, lithium-powered battery solutions are the smart choice because of the greater energy contained in its cell space, plus its continuous and constant voltage supply. Due to their lightweight feature, lithium batteries are also used for devices where it is portable such as surgeon light gear, distribution drones, or other portable pocket-size devices. If the application needs very little power it is best to use alkaline batteries, especially for the items that are used on a daily and continuous basis.

To address questions that many people ask such as “Can you use alkaline batteries instead of lithium” or “Whether we should use alkaline batteries or lithium?”, let’s see the tables below so that you can choose the best suitable batteries based on your devices.

Environmental Impact of Two Types of Batteries and Tips for Their Safe Use and Disposals

The environmental impact of is usually evaluated on the use of resources, the manufacturing processes, and the disposing practices of these batteries. The formation of lithium batteries requires rare natural minerals like lithium and cobalt. In recent years, its manufacturing processes need these resources an enormous amount mostly for renewable energy production, and electric vehicles. This kind of immense need and battery production made the process more dangerous to the environment. It has a high possibility of disturbing the habitat, affecting the soil, and overall causing pollution. But at the same time the disposal rate of lithium batteries are very low and lifespan is longer thus the batteries are considered more eco-friendly over time.

Alkaline batteries use widely abundant, and common materials like zinc and manganese dioxide from nature, hence, the manufacturing process of alkaline batteries requires fewer materials. One of the downsides is that these materials are mostly irreplaceable. Furthermore, if not disposed of properly, the metals are bound to leak and, as a result, cause a great hazard to the environment. So whether one chooses lithium or alkaline batteries both have environmental impact and to reduce it there are set of guidelines to follow to mitigate or reduce the effects.

Fortunately, now technology has developed for the disposal of these goods, and we can even recycle these batteries. The disposing process is becoming less complex thanks to its best practices and standards by many countries.

Again, it is important to know how to store, handle, and dispose of batteries in an environmentally efficient way so that the lithium and alkaline batteries last long and cause minimal to no harm to the environment. Let’s discuss briefly, how to handle such batteries in each stage of its lifecycles.

Storage:

Storing lithium batteries in a cool, dry place is essential to provide a longer life for the battery and prevents any chances of overheating, leaking, and catching fire. Therefore, lithium batteries must be kept according to the guidelines of the manufacturers. If you do not use the batteries frequently enough or use them rarely, then you need to store batteries after partially charging them in order to increase longevity, especially for the Li-ion battery.

Similarly, alkaline batteries should also be stored in a dry cool place to avoid leaks and any degradation. To prevent any leaks, it is advisable to remove the batteries from devices that will not be in use.

Safe Disposal and Recycling Tips:

Lithium batteries should never be discarded with household waste. They should be handed over to be recycled by a center that specializes in lithium battery recycling.

It is best to recycle alkaline batteries as well because with improper disposal, they can contaminate the soil and water. So when disposing of alkaline batteries, one should seal them in a container to prevent chances of leakage before taking them away to the facility.

Conclusion

In conclusion, lithium batteries and alkaline batteries have their own features and advantages for specific applications. A decision matrix provides a useful way to compare choices with a set of specific criteria, which helps you make informed decisions. Please see the table below:

In addition to the differences between lithium and alkaline batteries, it’s also worth noting that solid-state batteries differ from lithium-ion batteries in several key ways. We’ve written an in-depth article Solid State Batteries vs Lithium Ion: A Comprehensive Comparison, which you can check out for more details.

If you are considering purchasing lithium battery energy storage solutions, we encourage you to reach out to us. At HBOWA, we specialize in manufacturing high-quality lithium batteries designed to meet the highest standards for residential, commercial, and industrial energy storage applications. Our commitment is to deliver reliable, efficient, and durable solutions tailored to your energy needs, so what are you waiting for? Contact us now!