Small-scale lead-acid battery recycling and processing equipment

Small-scale lead-acid battery recycling and processing equipment is a complete mechanical system designed for the dismantling, crushing, sorting and lead recovery from waste lead-acid batteries. It enables the efficient separation of lead paste, lead grids and plastic, whilst reducing the costs associated with manual dismantling, and is suitable for use in small- to medium-scale recycling plants.

The entire production line typically begins with the crushing stage, where a crusher or shredder carries out the initial dismantling of waste batteries, separating the battery casing, lead grids and internal materials. The material then proceeds to the specific gravity sorting and vibrating screen system, where plastic and metal are preliminarily separated based on differences in density. The core objective of this stage is to consistently maintain the mixed material within the uniform particle size range required for subsequent processing, thereby enhancing overall recovery efficiency; this stage generally provides the foundation for achieving effective separation of over 90 per cent of the material.

Lead paste is the key valuable component in lead-acid battery recycling. It is usually fed into a desulphurisation reactor for chemical treatment, converting lead sulphate into a reusable form, followed by solid-liquid separation via a filter press. Under stable operating conditions, this system achieves a lead recovery rate of 85%–95%. It is also equipped with a mixing tank and a metered dosing system to ensure a controlled reaction process and improve the purity of the recovered metal.

The smelting system is used for the further purification of lead grids and the treated lead paste, and is typically equipped with a medium-frequency smelting furnace or a reverberatory furnace. It is also fitted with a bag filter and an acid mist scrubber to control dust and sulphur dioxide emissions, thereby meeting environmental protection requirements. This stage determines the stability of the final lead ingot quality and serves as the crucial final step in the entire production line.

This compact lead-acid battery recycling plant is suitable for small to medium-sized facilities with a processing capacity of 0.5–2 tonnes per hour and offers modular scalability. It is ideal for applications such as used battery recycling centres and recycling plants.