I have always been afraid of messing with batteries. There’s the thought that inside that little double A, there is a certain volatile substance that might just explode. But, all deep-seated irrational beliefs aside, I have wondered if there’s a way to revive dead batteries. Now, I don’t know the first thing about science – or the many manifestations of our physical world. So my question is based only on intuition. What could a battery possibly have that cannot be revived!

Every time I throw a dead battery into the trash, I am consumed with guilt and self-loathing and feel miserable for the rest of the day. So I googled “bringing batteries to life” and found an article that confirms my hunch! (did I tell you I won a physics argument even last new years with Anand based on a hunch? :D Even Miru and Tapi were against me! It was a terrible night! But victory was on my side)

The article says:

Bring Dead Ni-Cad Batteries Back To Life
Are you tired of having your Ni-Cad batteries that refused to charge and simply die?

So what do you do with them when they die?
Just throw them in the trash - which harms the environment?
Or just take them to a recycling facility for them to be recycled?

Well, here is the best solution, bring your dead batteries back to life that can save you a chunk of change - By zapping them!
Here is one great instructable, Revive Nicad Batteries by Zapping with a Welder. Of course, you will need a welder, and not many people has one... So I came up with this idea that almost anyone can build!

DISCLAIMER:
This instructable involves hacking a device that operates on 300 volts and can be dangerous if not handled correctly. So, I am NOT responsible whatever happens to you using this information.

I am tempted to try this, but am also skeptical owing to the scary disclaimer. Moreover the disclaimer on their actual “instructable” page says

WARNING:
If you get killed by a poisonous explosion it means you did something wrong.
Electrocution is a real possibility also.
Ask your parents how to not electrocute yourself with a welder.

Yikes! How can this possibly be ECO-friendly if it can kill me? (Unless, the idea is to eliminate humans under the pretext of recharging batteries and thereby save the environment! brilliant i say!)

and I was right. Batteries do detonate!

Side note: The instructables website looks pretty cool. I can see myself going there often. It has all kinds of resources for DIY projects. Great stuff!