Recycling of Lead-Acid Battery Electrodes Using Sb(2)O(3) and CuO: Characterization and Electrochemical Investigations.

The recycling of spent automotive batteries is essential for minimizing their environmental impact. This requires eco-innovative methods with low cost and energy use. The present study explores the recycling of battery electrodes through the melt quenching method, a process that incorporates spent anode and cathode plates into a vitreous host matrix. Samples with the xCuO·10Sb(2)O(3)·(90 - x)[4PbO(2)·Pb] composition, where x = 0 to 30 mol% CuO, were prepared by the melt quenching method. The XRD analysis indicates the vitroceramic structures of the obtained samples. Thus, the presence of varied crystalline phases such as Pb(2)(SO(4))O, PbSO(4), and metallic Pb was detected. The SEM micrographs highlighted heterogeneous regions within the samples and showed a decreases of the size of crystallites with increased dopant concentrations. IR and UV-Vis spectra suggest that the copper ions act as network modifiers, creating bond defects and free oxygen ions, and yielding a reduction of the optical bandgap energy at higher dopant contents. EPR data show that the shape of the resonance lines and the coordination geometry of the Cu(2+) ions are influenced by the dopant concentrations. The analysis of the voltammetric data indicates that doping the recycled material with 20 mol% CuO and 10 mol% Sb(2)O(3) eliminates the process of hydrogen evolution and reduces the anodic electrode passivation.