Zinc Recovery from Alkaline Batteries Using Cyanex 272 Impregnated on Polyurethane Foam

Abstract

In this study, zinc which is an important industrial metal and the major component of alkaline battery was recovered from spent alkaline batteries using a Cyanex 272 (solvent) impregnated on polyurethane foam (PUF). The impregnation of Cyanex 272 on PUF was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The relevant factors affecting recovery of zinc such as pH, concentration of the solvent, dosage of the absorbent, temperature, and flow rate were studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra showed that Cyanex 272 can be easily impregnated on polyurethane foam. The optimum conditions for this Zn recovery are: pH of 4, extractant concentration of 0.4 M, adsorbent dosage of 5 g, temperature of about 338 K and extraction time of 60 min. Avrami fractional-order kinetic model is the best model for kinetic study while Bohart-Adams model is the best model for the data of the columnar study. The result showed that solvent impregnation method is an effective technique of zinc recovery from spent alkaline batteries; about 95.7% Zn was recovered from the sample after elution with 6 M HCl. Hence, Zn can be effectively recovered from solution (spent batteries) using PUF impregnated with Cyanex 272.