I really need help ( get silver from silver button batteries )

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saadat68

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2016
Messages
482
Hi
I want to recycle silver button batteries and rent a workshop for it. Yesterday I wanted crush some batteries with pliers and digest with nitric acid but I can't. It is very very hard to dissemble batteries with pliers and hands. My hands damaged after crushing just 100 gram!!! :oops:

Now I must find a new way quickly. I know I can use hammer mill but I can not find it in my country.

What do you think about these process?

1: Leach with AR to digest shells and after I have silver chloride ( right? )
2: Leach with HCL to digest shells and after I have silver, silver oxide and silver chloride ( right? )
 
There are plenty of posts about silver button batteries here on the forum so I would suggest some research before you start renting premises, from memory the silver batteries are not that common and that the shell wil not dissolve easily in HCl .
I'm sure someone has found a good method to crack the shells open you might just have to search for it and adapt it to your cicumstances.
 
nickvc said:
There are plenty of posts about silver button batteries here on the forum so I would suggest some research before you start renting premises, from memory the silver batteries are not that common and that the shell wil not dissolve easily in HCl .
I'm sure someone has found a good method to crack the shells open you might just have to search for it and adapt it to your cicumstances.
I searched before there isn't any information that can help
 
kjavanb123 said:
You can pyrolyze the batteries, then smelt them to get the silver. How much batteries?
1 kg

Can you explain more?
Do you say pyrolyze them without crushing ? they explode in high temperature
 
Topher_osAUrus said:
saadat68 said:
I searched before there isn't any information that can help
...did you?


http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=3212


Yes I read this topic several times.
My problem is shells of batteries
 
I think digest with AR is best way and get me metal silver, silver oxide and some silver chloride
But I don't know how covert them to silver
 
No, the BEST way would be to physically peal away the casing of the batteries with a pair of side cutters, no matter what amount of batteries you have. For a multitude of reasons.
 
Time to inject some harsh reality . . . 1kg of batteries will yield how much metallic silver ? Not very much. Silver is worth less than US$20 per ounce.

Do you want to sit there peeling batteries with a side-cutter for hours ? or for that matter, rent a workshop to do it in ?
 
Hammer mill, screen, wash with hot water twice, and dissolve in nitric, precipitate with hcl.
Takes little nitric when done right and batteries have a good profit margin when done right.
 
Palladium said:
Hammer mill, screen, wash with hot water twice, and dissolve in nitric, precipitate with hcl.
Takes little nitric when done right and batteries have a good profit margin when done right.

I can buy laboratory jaw crusher but I don't know it crush batteries or not. Also I don't have enough money and I think it is expensive
Can I use food mill ?! For example coffee mill or herb grinder like this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/9FQ-UD-500-Straw-Crushing-Machine-Hammer-Mill-Grain-Grinder-without-motor/1000001961501.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.82.xZIYPO&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_5_10152_10065_10151_10068_10130_10136_10137_10060_10138_10155_10062_10156_10154_10056_10055_10054_10059_10099_10103_10102_10096_10148_10147_10052_10053_10142_10107_10050_10051_10084_10083_10080_10082_10081_10178_10110_10111_10112_10113_10114_5110014_10181_10078_10079_10073_10070_10123_10124,searchweb201603_2,afswitch_1,ppcSwitch_5&btsid=59eb06d4-979e-418a-b7ad-e45d19660b4d&algo_expid=a70e46cf-d34a-47ff-bf97-0981782c237f-10&algo_pvid=a70e46cf-d34a-47ff-bf97-0981782c237f

Must there is a way to crush them with something

Smack
Maybe in 3 hr I can crush 1 kg cells !!!

kernels
Yes I rent workshop for this :oops: :cry: :?
 
saadat68 said:
kjavanb123 said:
You can pyrolyze the batteries, then smelt them to get the silver. How much batteries?
1 kg

Can you explain more?
Do you say pyrolyze them without crushing ? they explode in high temperature

If your pyrolysis setup is right, the batteries explosion will be contained in the pyrolysis chamber.

Never done batteries but I guess pyrolyzing them would make the shell looser, so it can be broken off easier.

Once pyrolized you can mix them with soda ash and borax and smelt in a furnace like this;
IMG_6593.JPG

Please ignore the other pipes as this was during my pyrolysis testing.

During smelting, your batteries shell and other base metals report to slag, and silver metal is left at the crucible.

Regards
Kj
 
The way the batteries are made they have a plastic seal where the cases are pressed together and heating them to make them pop open won't work. The seal will melt and that causes pressure to be released and not build up. The only way to make them pop is induction heating I have found. With induction heating 97% success and with conventional heating about 5%. Other than that a hammer mill is the only way for production I have found.
 
kjavanb123 said:
You can pyrolyze the batteries, then smelt them to get the silver. How much batteries?

Are you for real Kevin?
Why would anyone advocate incineration of mercury containing batteries?
Never put battery in fire as it will explode and exploding battery releasing mercury vapors is really something insane.
 
saadat68 said:
Hi
I want to recycle silver button batteries and rent a workshop for it. Yesterday I wanted crush some batteries with pliers and digest with nitric acid but I can't. It is very very hard to dissemble batteries with pliers and hands. My hands damaged after crushing just 100 gram!!! :oops:

Now I must find a new way quickly. I know I can use hammer mill but I can not find it in my country.

What do you think about these process?

1: Leach with AR to digest shells and after I have silver chloride ( right? )
2: Leach with HCL to digest shells and after I have silver, silver oxide and silver chloride ( right? )


Get bigger pliers.
1 kilogram of batteries does not warrant any investment in machinery other than bigger pliers.
Forget herb crusher. Think about why it is called herb crusher and you will see grinding metal is not a good idea. It will work and perhaps you will do kilogram maybe even few but then you will notice that knives inside disappeared.
If you are unable to do them by hand then get 10$ worth coffee grinder, it will not last long but can do kilogram you have. Do not forget that it will be coated in mercury and you will be breathing it while grinding and also that your rented shop will be contaminated too.
 
I want to recycle 300 to 500 kg per year
My mean was 1 kg is there now.

Pliers really don't work :oops:

kjavanb123
I heated some batteries. they explode with strong voice. I can not do this process here
 
Today I read a patent. it says conventional method is digest batteries in AR and then pyrolyse with sodium carbonate in 1000 C. It doesn't explain more.

What do you think ?
Can someone help about this process ?
 
DId we cover this all before some months back for Saadat? Of course I could be wrong but it looks like a Groundhog Day moment here.
 
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