Hydrometallurgical valorization of spent Ni-Cd batteries using organic acids as selective leaching agents

Alberto Moccia Paradisi; Diego Hernández-Pardo; Nadia Ardila Santamaria; Pedro Delvasto

doi:10.14482/inde.41.02.547.256

Authors

Alberto Moccia Paradisi Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela
Diego Hernández-Pardo Universidad Industrial de Santander
Nadia Ardila Santamaria Universidad Industrial de Santander
Pedro Delvasto Universidad Industrial de Santander

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14482/inde.41.02.547.256

Keywords:

hydrometallurgy, organic acids, spent Ni-Cd batteries, valorization

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a hydrometallurgical procedure to treat spent Ni-Cd batteries using organic acids as leaching agents. The electrode materials of the batteries were extracted and leached using a combination of acetic, citric, and sulfuric acids and their mixtures in a two-stage selective scheme. This procedure aimed to recover metal-bearing solid products. The leachates were treated by evaporation/crystallization or chemical precipitation to obtain the solid products. These products were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, chemical analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy, mineralogical phases by x-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. In the first leaching step, 15% m/m citric acid was used to recover 85±5 wt.% of the cadmium present as a carboxylate salt. In the second leaching stage (5% m/m acetic acid mixed with 3% m/m sulfuric acid), 50±3 wt.% of nickel was recovered, in the form of a product consisting of a mixture of hydroxides and salts. The remaining solid from the second leaching stage was a valuable metal product containing nickel (96±4 wt.%). The analysis of the results allowed us to depict a conceptual process flow diagram for the selective leaching of the spent Ni-Cd batteries, and the possible industrial use of the solid products obtained.

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