Recovery of lead from battery sludge by electrowinning

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · J. Met.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03338346· OSTI ID:5564201

Cole, E R; Lee, A Y; Paulson, D L

Research by the Bureau of Mines has resulted in a combination electrorefining-electrowinning method for recycling the lead from scrap batteries. The lead metal grids and lugs are separated from the sludge by ball milling, washing, and screening and are melted and cast into anodes for electrorefining by the Betts process using waste fluosilicic acid as the electrolyte. The sulfate-oxide-metal sludge remaining after separation of the lead metal is treated in a two-step leaching operation with ammonium carbonate, waste fluosilicic acid, and Pb powder to solubilize the lead for recovery by electrowinning. Unlike electrorefining, electrowinning is not being practiced commercially now. Prior attempts to electrowin lead have failed because large quantities of insoluble lead dioxide are deposited on the anodes at the expense of lead deposition on the cathodes. This paper describes bench-scale (1 to 2 liter cells) research for recovering lead from battery sludge by electrowinning that prevents PbO/sub 2/ formation at the anodes. The bench-scale work has been successfully completed, and electrowinning experiments are presently being conducted in a 20-liter multielectrode cell.

• Research Organization: U.S. Bureau of Mines, Rolla Research Center, Rolla, Missouri 65401
• OSTI ID: 5564201
• Journal Information: J. Met.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Met.; (United States) Vol. 35:8; ISSN JOMTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
250900* -- Energy Storage-- Batteries
AMMONIUM CARBONATES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANODES
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CATHODES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DEPOSITS
DISSOLUTION
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
ELECTROLYSIS
ELECTROMETALLURGY
ELECTROREFINING
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LEACHING
LEAD
LEAD COMPOUNDS
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
LYSIS
METALLURGY
METALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWDERS
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RECYCLING
REFINING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SILICIC ACID
SLUDGES
US BUREAU OF MINES
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS