Battery processing plastics recovery

In the plastics recovery section, the polypropylene is separated from other plastics and products such as PVC separators, ebonite cases, labels, rope handles, etc., via a series of classifiers and hydro-cyclones. The polypropylene pieces or chips are cleaned, washed, and separated from any remaining paste and dust. Once the material has been shredded to smaller fragments, the plastic is a valuable by-product of battery recycling. Plastic cleaning and processing methods are so effective that heavy metal contamination in the final polypropylene product is very low. The final product can be used in household goods such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and dishwasher parts, or in products for the automotive industry [5]. 

Although the hydrometallurgical process is more complicated than the thermal process, its principal virtue resides in the essential recovery of all of the materials in spent lead-acid batteries, including the plastic materials, and in the minimal generation of waste streams. As actufd data become available on the operational characteristics and the economics of full scale plants, it will be possible to make a meaningful assessment of this process and its merits relative to other processes for the recycling of lead-acid batteries. 

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