Systems and methods for recovery of lead from lead acid batteries

A method of recovering lead from a lead paste of a lead acid battery, wherein the lead paste comprises lead sulfate, the method comprising:

• contacting the lead paste with a base to thereby generate a supernatant comprising a soluble sulfate salt and a precipitate comprising an insoluble lead salt;
• separating the supernatant from the precipitate;
• contacting the precipitate with alkane sulfonic acid to generate a mixture comprising a lead ion solution and insoluble lead dioxide;
• contacting the insoluble lead dioxide in the precipitate or in the lead paste with a hydrogen peroxide to thereby reduce lead dioxide to lead oxide;
• combining the lead oxide with the lead ion solution to form a combined lead ion solution;
• applying an electrical potential to a cathode in contact with the combined lead ion solution to thereby continuously form adherent lead on a first portion of the cathode and to generate regenerated alkane sulfonic acid;
• wherein the adherent lead has a purity of at least 99.9%;
• and
• removing the adherent lead from a second portion of the cathode while continuously forming adherent lead on the first portion of the same cathode.