Patent ID: 6177056
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: B01D,C01D,H01M,Y02E,Y02W

Abstract:
A process for recycling spent lead acid batteries into non-hazardous materials comprising:a. separating the plastic and acid from the lead-bearing materials in a crushed lead acid battery;b. volatilizing the sulfur present in the battery to SO.sub.2 by smelting the lead bearing materials which remain after said separation in an oxidizing atmosphere in a smelting furnace;c. scrubbing the SO.sub.2 from the off gas stream of the smelting furnace in an alkali scrubber to produce a soluble sulfite solution;d. treating the solution by oxidation to convert the soluble sulfite to a sulfate;e. removing any remaining heavy metals from the solution;f. crystallizing sulfur present in the solution resulting from the foregoing steps in a primary crystallizer as high purity alkali sulfate crystals, and,g. when chloride species are present, removing a portion of the solution remaining after step f to a second crystallizer to recover soluble sulfate and chloride species present in said solution as a mixed salt product.