Methods for purifying and recycling lead from spent lead-acid batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11791505-B2
Application number	US-202017020333-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2020
Priority date	Jun 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods by which lead from spent lead-acid batteries may be extracted, purified, and used in the construction of new lead-acid batteries. A method includes: (A) forming a mixture including a carboxylate source and a lead-bearing material; (B) generating a first lead salt precipitate in the mixture as the carboxylate source reacts with the lead-bearing material; (C) increasing the pH of the mixture to dissolve the first lead salt precipitate; (D) isolating a liquid component of the mixture from one or more insoluble components of the mixture; (E) decreasing the pH of the liquid component of the mixture to generate a second lead salt precipitate; and (F) isolating the second lead salt precipitate from the liquid component of the mixture. Thereafter, the isolated lead salt precipitate may be converted to leady oxide for use in the manufacture of new lead-acid batteries.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a new lead-acid battery from recycling of a lead-acid battery comprising:
processing a spent lead-acid battery to generate a lead-bearing material;
forming a mixture comprising a carboxylate source and the lead-bearing material;
generating a lead salt precipitate in the mixture as the carboxylate source reacts with the lead-bearing material;
dissolving the lead salt precipitate;
isolating a liquid component of the mixture from one or more insoluble components of the mixture;
regenerating the lead salt precipitate;
isolating the regenerated lead salt precipitate from the liquid component of the mixture;
adding a hydride source to the liquid component;
treating the lead salt precipitate to yield a leady oxide;
forming a leady oxide active material with the leady oxide; and
forming a new lead-acid battery using the leady oxide active material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing the spent lead-acid battery includes physically breaking apart the spent lead-acid battery and one or more purification steps.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein leady oxide is further processed by washing, milling or grinding.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spent lead-acid battery includes one or more of: metal posts, metal connectors, metal grids, carbon black, glass, a plastic or metal casing, separator, plastic fibers, battery paste, and sulfuric acid.

5. The method of claim 1 , including removal of one or more impurities from recovered and regenerated lead.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the isolated regenerated lead salt precipitate using calcination or a base treatment to yield the leady oxide.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising reacting the one or more impurities from the lead-bearing material present in the liquid component of the mixture with at least one reducing agent to evolve one or more impurity gases to remove the one or more impurities from the liquid component.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the one or more impurities comprises a compound that includes tellurium, antimony, tin, selenium, arsenic, germanium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding an antisolvent to the liquid component.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising adjusting a pH of the mixture.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carboxylate source comprises a citrate, citric acid, ammonium citrate, acetate, ammonium acetate, acetic acid, or combination thereof.

12. A lead acid battery constructed including the method of claim 1 .

13. A method of forming a new lead-acid battery from recycling of a lead-acid battery comprising:
processing a spent lead-acid battery to generate a lead-bearing material;
forming a mixture comprising a carboxylate source and the lead-bearing material;
generating a lead salt precipitate in the mixture as the carboxylate source reacts with the lead-bearing material;
dissolving the lead salt precipitate;
isolating a liquid component of the mixture from one or more insoluble components of the mixture;
regenerating the lead salt precipitate;
isolating the regenerated lead salt precipitate from the liquid component of the mixture;
adding a hydride source to the liquid component, wherein the hydride source is selected from the group consisting of sodium tetraborohydride, sodium hydride, hydrogen gas, and syngas;
treating the lead salt precipitate to yield a leady oxide;
forming a leady oxide active material with the leady oxide; and
forming a new lead-acid battery using the leady oxide active material.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein processing the spent lead-acid battery includes physically breaking apart the spent lead-acid battery and one or more purification steps.

15. The method of claim 13 , including removal of one or more impurities from recovered and regenerated lead.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising reacting the one or more impurities from the lead-bearing material present in the liquid component of the mixture with at least one reducing agent to evolve one or more impurity gases to remove the one or more impurities from the liquid component.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more impurities comprises a compound that includes tellurium, antimony, tin, selenium, arsenic, germanium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising treating the isolated regenerated lead salt precipitate using calcination or a base treatment to yield the leady oxide.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the carboxylate source comprises a citrate, citric acid, ammonium citrate, acetate, ammonium acetate, acetic acid, or combination thereof.

20. A lead acid battery constructed including the method of claim 13 .

Assignees

• Cps Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Spence Matthew A

Classifications

• H01M10/54 Primary

  Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators · CPC title

• B01J6/001

  Calcining · CPC title

• B01J6/002

  using rotating drums · CPC title

• B01J8/008

  Details of the reactor or of the particulate material; Processes to increase or to retard the rate of reaction (B01J8/0285, B01J8/067, B01J8/087, B01J8/1836 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01J19/06

  Solidifying liquids (making microcapsules B01J13/02) · CPC title