Recovering lead from spent batteries - by cruching, burning and melting in an oxygen atmosphere, slagging the sulphate, and recovering the residual lead from the waste gases

摘要

The process for recovering Pb from spent acid Pb batteries comprise, after removal of the acid and neutralisation of residual acid, crushing the batteries to a particle size of 5 mm in a unit to which is feed an alkali- or alkaline earth oxide, -hydroxide, or -carbonate, or a mixt. of these. The crushed mixt. is molten in a furnace with an oxygen enriched blow under slightly reducing conditions and under a sulphate slag layer, the molten Pb being tapped. The waste gases, after removal of the greater part of dust, are passed through a furnace of larger cross section, which is also provided with an oxygen blow, and in which the residual Pb is molten. The gases are then cooled in a heat exchanger and passed through a dust precipitator. The process is simple and time saving and does not require magnetic separators and the use of cascade sieves. Environmental pollution problems are avoided.