Battery scrap processing

scrap batteries contain a number of metals and other materials which can be re-used as secondary raw materials. Hence proper battery disposal and recycling is required to recover the materials present in the scrap. Lead batteries are processed through heat treatment in a particular type of furnace. At the end of the process metals are recovered. A similar thermal technique is used to recover cadmium and iron-nickel from NiCd batteries. High Temperature Metal Reclamation process is a widely used metal conversion technology. These recovered metals are used in steel production. Smelting and other thermal-metallurgical processes is used to recover zinc from zinc-carbon and other alkaline-manganese batteries. Li-Ion batteries are processed through pyrolysis. Vacuum-thermal treatment is generally used for batteries containing mercury. In this process mercury eventually vaporizes. When temperatures are reduced it condenses and solidifies. Sometimes the individual materials that make up the batteries are separated manually or mechanically. Though various scrap processing methods are available, the ultimate goal is efficient utilization of scrap metals and other materials obtained.