Process for the recovery of metallic lead from battery paste
AssigneeH. J. Enthoven Limited
InventorsJohannus B. J. Spijkerman, Rudolf J. M. Groenen
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Abstract
A process for the direct recovery of metallic lead from battery paste in an electrolysis unit is disclosed. The electrolysis unit consists of an anode compartment and a cathode compartment separated by an ion selective membrane. The cathode consists of a high surface area electrically conductive substrate. Solid particles of battery paste are introduced into the cathode compartment which contains a liquid electrolyte and a complexing agent. Metallic lead is electrochemically deposited on the cathode, and sulfuric acid is produced in the anode compartment.
Claims20
A process for recovering metallic lead from battery paste comprising
- (a) introducing battery paste slurry containing solid lead particles into the cathode compartment of an electrolysis unit, said electrolysis unit comprising:
- (i) an anode and a cathode compartment separated by an ion selective membrane or a diaphragm,
- (ii) said cathode compartment comprising a high surface area electrode of 40 to 5000 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3,
- (iii) liquid electrolyte containing a complexing agent, and
- (iv) a bed of fluidized particles comprising said solid lead particles in said cathode compartment
- (b) electrochemically depositing the lead contained in the fluidized lead particles as metallic lead on the cathode, and
- (c) removing the deposited lead from the cathode.
A process for recovering metallic lead from battery paste comprising:
- (a) treating battery paste with one or more of the members of the group consisting of SO.sub.2 and Na.sub.2 SO.sub.3 to reduce substantially all lead in said battery paste from its tetravalent form to its divalent form,
- (b) introducing said treated battery paste as a slurry containing solid lead particles into the cathode compartment of a fluidized bed electrolysis unit, said electrolysis unit comprising:
- (i) two anode compartments,
- (ii) a cathode compartment comprising a high surface area cathode of greater than 40 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3 of cathode compartment volume,
- (iii) an anion selective membrane between said anode and cathode compartments,
- (iv) a liquid electrolyte containing complexing agents disposed within said electrolysis unit, and
- (v) said solid lead particles fluidized in said cathode compartment
- (c) electrochemically depositing metallic lead upon said cathode, and
- (d) removing metallic lead deposited on said cathode from said electrolysis unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.