Magnabiz
Corporation provides effective customised solutions for automated battery breaking, crushing, cutting, separation and material
handling.
Battery Cutting:
Batteries are fed from one end for cutting. The cut batteries
are emptied for separating PP case and Lead concentrate. The fumes generated
during the operation is vented through an exhaust made of acid proof material.
The Waste Acid poured off inside the chamber is taken to a Neutralisation tank.
PP cases are crushed and washed before packing to sell. Lead
concentrate is kept aside for feeding into the furnace.
Design of modern lead-acid batteries:
The most common type of lead-acid battery consists of the
following components:
a grid of lead alloy
the spaces in the grid, which are filled with a
mixture of powdered lead and lead oxide
an electrolyte (solution which conducts
electricity) of sulphuric acid, in which the whole grid is immersed
separators (made of insulating material) and
electrical connections, including the terminals.
the case, normally a heavy duty polypropylene box.
Scrap Lead-Acid Battery Storage Area
Scrap lead-acid batteries are usually received in palletised containers for crushing and separating operations. Lead-bearing scrap should be covered during transfer and stored in an enclosed, ventilated area with a proper acid proof flooring and drainage to avoid seepage of acid and fine lead content in the
soil.
Battery Breaking and Separating
Metal
and nonmetal contaminants from battery scrap are partially removed from
lead-bearing scrap. This is done by battery breaking / crushing and
separating processes. Battery breaking is the draining and crushing of
batteries, followed by mechanised or manual separation of the lead from nonmetallic
materials. Lead plates, posts, and inter-cell connectors are collected and
stored in a pile for subsequent charging to the furnace.
Generally battery top is cut by saw, shear
or whole battery crushing process is
adopted for breaking batteries.
The use of saws and shears involves
cutting the tops off of the batteries, then dumping the contents of the battery. The
whole battery crushing process involves crushing the entire battery in a
crusher, shredder or hammer-mill. Components are separated by gravity
separation. Properly
designed exhaust ventilation is provided in such operations to control lead
emissions.
After breaking the battery, the
lead-bearing material is separated from the case material. This process is
either manually done or is automated. If a crusher is used to break batteries,
it is recommended to use the sink/float process for separation
The
broken battery pieces go into a vat, where the lead and heavy materials
fall to the bottom while the plastic rises to the top. At this point, the
polypropylene pieces are scooped away and the liquids are drawn off,
leaving the lead and heavy metals. Each of the materials goes into a
different stream.
Charge material
The stored lead scrap and the lead
bearing material from batteries are blended to the proper metallurgical
requirements so it can be charged to the furnace.
Material
is primarily transported through the use of mobile equipment (forklifts,
front-end loaders). Some common mechanical conveyance methods used in
secondary lead smelters are Belt Conveyors, Screw Conveyors and Bucket
Elevators.
Battery lead concentrate can be used with
other scrap as feed materials for the smelting and refining processes. These
materials may include: battery manufacturing plant scrap, lead dross, metallic
lead sheets and cable shielding.
