How to Get Lead Out of Batteries

Batteries are a primary source of recycled lead.

Lead can be recycled for reuse so long as it hasn't lost its basic properties. A large percentage of recycled lead comes from recycled lead-acid batteries. Lead can be extracted from the grids, bridges and terminals of scrap lead-acid batteries as well as from the battery paste, which contains lead oxide and lead sulfate. Extraction of lead from batteries is a hazardous industrial process, due to the presence of acids and the lead itself. Special equipment is needed and proper safety gear should be worn at all times.

Things You'll Need

• Protective heavy duty gloves
• Protective goggles
• Protective overalls
• Plastic drums with tight fitting lids
• Lime solution
• Melting and reduction furnace
• Guillotine shear
• Perforated grinding drum

Instructions

1. Empty any liquid battery acid into plastic drums and let the acid stand. This will allow for any solid impurities to settle at the bottom of the drums. Decant the purified acid into separate plastic containers. This can be packaged for resale to the mining or metallurgical industry.

2. Pour a solution of lime onto the paste in the battery. This will neutralize any residual acid. Scrape the paste out of the battery and pass it through a filter press. Charge the filter press to a melting and reduction furnace.

3. Use a guillotine shear to cut off the top of the battery and remove the grid packs from the battery case.

4. Insert the grid packs in a perforated grinding drum rotating in a basin of water. This process separates the grids from the paste and separators. Fine particles are separated from larger particles through the perforations of the grinding drum.

5. Place the fine lead particles in water and add some lime to neutralize any acidity and corrosion of the drum as a result.

6. Pump hot liquid lead into treatment kettles and skim all impurities from the top of the lead. This is because everything floats on top of liquid. Cast the lead as preferred.

Tips & Warnings

• An alternative method of extracting lead from batteries involves crushing the entire battery after the removal of the acid and the paste.

References

• Fundamentals of Recycling of Lead Acid Batteries

Resources

• Bryant recycling: The Method Behind Recycling Batteries