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The present work deals with the voltammetric and electrogravimetric behavior of Ni͑OH͒ 2 electrodes in alkaline solutions and the effect of some additives, such as Co 2ϩ , Cd 2ϩ , and Zn 2ϩ , in the active material. The electrochemical behavior of the ␣ or ␤ phases with the incorporation of the additives is analyzed by use of the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. Only Zn 2ϩ as additive leads to the complete stabilization of the ␣ phase avoiding, since the first cycle, the insertion of alkaline cations from the electrolyte. In all other ␣ phases, the electroneutralization of charge is achieved by a small but representative participation of cations. In the case of ␤ electrodes, protons are the responsible for charge compensation, the cations movement being negligible.The use of additives in the active material of batteries in order to improve the performance of the electrodes is a widely used treatment. The performance of the electrodes may be limited by chemical problems related to the species participating in the electrode process or by the aging of the materials produced by repetitive charge/ discharge cycles, storage, and battery operation.Among the additives most used in alkaline batteries, we can enumerate carbon, Co͑OH͒ 2 , CuO, Co, CdO, Zn͑OH͒ 2 , Zn, and ZnO. 1 The effect of these additives is to improve electric conductivity of the active material and to give rigidity to the structure to minimize volume changes produced during cycling. Other additives act polarizing the oxygen evolution reaction, which is a parasite process that consumes the available capacity of the battery. 2 There are other kinds of additives, which are incorporated in the electrolyte, such as cellulose or LiOH. Moreover, during the preparation methods of electrodes, contamination with impurities present in the materials can occur, that would modify the electrochemical performance of the electrodes. These impurities are: organic compounds, anions like nitrate or metallic cations such as Tl ϩ , Fe 3ϩ , Mg 2ϩ , Ca 2ϩ , Al, or Si. 1 The purpose of the use of additives in the special case of Ni͑OH͒ 2 electrodes is to avoid three major problems: 3 ͑i͒ improve the charge efficiency by separating the redox couples O 2 /OH Ϫ and Ni͑II͒/Ni͑III͒, ͑ii͒ improve mechanical properties avoiding the socalled ␥ effect, and ͑iii͒ improve the electrical conductivity of the active material, specially, in the reduced state.It is well known that ␣-Ni͑OH͒ 2 is unstable in strong alkaline solutions and it transforms into ␤ form; so that, the expansion of the electrodes ͑␤/␤ transformation͒ and contraction ͑␣/␤ transformation͒ during charge/discharge cycling, will lead to the deterioration of the electrodes. This phenomenon is called the ␥ effect and is considered as detrimental for accumulators. Some metallic cations have been studied, and it was found that most of them improve some properties and worsen others. Cobalt and cadmium hydroxides are the most popular additives used in Ni͑OH͒ 2 electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry studies have shown that Co͑OH...

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ResumoO objetivo da pesquisa é recuperar os principais metais presentes em um lote com uma mistura de diversos tipos de pilhas e de baterias descartadas após o uso, lote obtido em um posto de coleta. Para esse estudo, o resíduo das pilhas e das baterias foi moído, reduzido em forno elétrico, submetido à separação magnética e lixiviado. A composição química, após a lixiviação, foi reproduzida em uma solução sintética, que foi submetida à extração por solventes e reextração sendo que as soluções obtidas, após as reextrações, foram utilizadas como eletrólitos. Manganês, cobre, cobalto e níquel são recuperados na forma metálica após um tratamento que inclui as etapas pirometalúrgica, hidrometalúrgica e eletroquímica. Estudos anteriores definiram os parâmetros das etapas pirometalúrgica, lixiviação e extração por solventes que proporcionaram separação mais seletiva dos íons metálicos que se pretende recuperar. A contribuição do presente estudo é encontrar um processo que trate de todos os tipos de pilhas e de baterias juntos e recuperar seus metais mais importantes, evitando, assim, a etapa de separação prévia das baterias. Os filmes foram analisados quanto à sua espessura e composição. Palavras-chave:Reciclagem, pilhas e baterias, eletro-obtenção. Abstract The research aims to recover the major metals present in a lot