Chemical and physical characterization of electrode materials of spent sealed Ni–Cd batteries

The present work aimed at the chemical and physical characterization of spent sealed MONO-type Ni–Cd batteries, contributing to a better definition of the recycling process of these spent products. The electrode material containing essentially nickel, cadmium and some cobalt corresponds to approximately 49% of the weight of the batteries. The remaining components are the steel parts from the external case and the supporting grids (40%) containing Fe and Ni, the electrolyte (9%) and the plastic components (2%). Elemental quantitative analysis showed that the electrodes are highly concentrated in metals. The phase identification achieved by X-ray powder diffraction combined with chemical analysis and leaching tests allowed the authors to proceed with the composition of the electrode materials as following: cathode: 28.7% metallic Ni, 53.3% Ni(OH)2, 6.8% Cd(OH)2 and 2.8% Co(OH)2; anode: 39.4% metallic Ni and 57.0% Cd(OH)2. The morphology of the electrodes was studied by microscopic techniques and two phases were observed in the electrodes: (1) a bright metallic phase constituted of small nickel grains that acts as conductor, and (2) the main hydroxide phase of the active electrodes into which the nickel grains are dispersed. The disaggregation of the electrode particles from the supporting plates was easily obtained during the dismantling procedures, indicating that a substantial percentage of the electrodes can be efficiently separated by wet sieving after shredding the spent batteries.