Summary
I am a PhD student in the Solid State Electronic Structure Group in the Department of Materials that is run by Dr David Payne.
I am currently working on a project to develop a safer and cheaper alternative to the current pyrometallurgical processing method applied to the recycling of lead acid batteries. We aim to do this by developing a solvent based, low temperature process. The process will use low cost, sustainable and biodegradable solvents to dissolve a variety of lead compounds found in waste battery streams. Dissolved lead can then be recovered chemically or electrochemically as lead oxide or metal, both of which are useful materials for the manufacture of new batteries. This technology could be well positioned to replace the improvised furnaces used by informal battery recyclers that pose a significant pollution hazard in developing countries.