US 12,742,251 B2 · Bipolar electrolyzer

Abstract

Disclosed are solutions for the recovery of elemental metals at industrial scales without smelting including, for example, the recovery of near-pure lead from recycled LABs via specialized electrolytic processing. Further disclosed are new processes, innovative electrolyzer designs, and/or novel utilization of supplemental chemicals necessary for successful electrolysis of pure metal from impure forms (e.g., pure lead from lead oxides), and especially applicable for solid-state electrolysis of mixtures comprising lead paste, electrolyte, and supplemental chemicals. With particular regard to recovering near-pure lead during LAB recycling, solid-state electrolysis of mixtures comprising impure lead (e.g., lead paste) is made possible by electrolytic processing using supplemental chemicals, and made scalable to industrial levels via utilization of a vertically-arranged series of horizontal bipolar cathodes in an electrolyzer assembly.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An electrolyzer assembly comprising:

a first bipolar electrolyzer comprising a first horizontal bipolar cathode upon which an electrolytic slurry may be emplaced for electrolysis, and further comprising sloped containing surfaces for containing the electrolytic slurry and a sloped gate in the sloped containing surfaces through which an end product resulting from electrolysis can be removed from the first horizontal bi-polar cathode;
and
a second bipolar electrolyzer comprising a second horizontal bipolar cathode, said second bipolar electrolyzer oriented vertically above the first bipolar electrolyzer such that a bottom surface of the second horizontal bipolar cathode is capable of electrically engaging an upper surface of the electrolytic slurry, said second horizontal cathode operating as an active anode for electrolysis of the electrolytic slurry.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bipolar electrolyzer

Life of this patent

Bipolar electrolyzer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20