Spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulator treatment plants and/or processes

Abstract

A spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulator treatment plant may include: a grinder configured to receive a plurality of spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulators and to output a ground heterogeneous material; and a plurality of separator devices, wherein each of the separator devices is configured to receive a respective input heterogeneous material and to extract therefrom at least two respective output fractions, wherein each of the output fractions is homogeneous or less heterogeneous than the respective input heterogeneous material, wherein the respective input heterogeneous material is the ground heterogeneous material or is one of the at least two respective output fractions of another one of the separator devices. The plant further may include an air pressurizing device and at least one diffuser configured to diffuse compressed air generated by the air pressurizing device onto at least one of the output fractions of the separator devices.

1 . A spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulator treatment plant, the plant comprising:
 a grinder configured to receive a plurality of spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulators and to output a ground heterogeneous material; and   a plurality of separator devices, wherein each of the separator devices is configured to receive a respective input heterogeneous material and to extract therefrom at least two respective output fractions, wherein each of the output fractions is homogeneous or less heterogeneous than the respective input heterogeneous material, wherein the respective input heterogeneous material is the ground heterogeneous material or is one of the at least two respective output fractions of another one of the separator devices;   wherein the plant further comprises an air pressurizing device and at least one diffuser configured to diffuse compressed air generated by the air pressurizing device onto at least one of the output fractions of the separator devices.   
     
     
         2 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the separator devices comprises:
 a plastics separator;   a separator of a lead-based metal fraction derived from contact components; or   a lead pastel separator.   
     
     
         3 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a screw-type conveyor device downstream of the separator devices; and the   the at least one diffuser at the screw-type conveyor device.   
     
     
         4 . The plant of  claim 3 , wherein the separator devices comprise:
 a plastics separator device;   an elutriator device.   
     
     
         5 . The plant of  claim 4 , wherein the plastics separator device comprises:
 a sink-float device;   a hydrodynamic separator; or   a sieve.   
     
     
         6 . The plant of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one diffuser is internal to at least one of the separator devices. 
     
     
         7 . The plant of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the separator devices comprises:
 a pastel separator device; or   a separator device of lead pastel and a lead-based metal fraction derived from contact components.   
     
     
         8 . The plant of  claim 7 , wherein the pastel separator device comprises a filter-press. 
     
     
         9 . The plant of  claim 7 , wherein the separator device of lead pastel and the lead-based metal fraction derived from contact components comprises a multi-stage rotary sieve. 
     
     
         10 . A process for treating spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulators, the process comprising:
 grinding a plurality of spent and/or decommissioned lead-acid accumulators, to output a ground heterogeneous material;   separating the ground heterogeneous material into a plurality of output fractions, wherein each of the output fractions is homogeneous or less heterogeneous than the ground heterogeneous material; and   diffusing compressed air onto at least one of the output fractions.   
     
     
         11 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a device configured to separate non-lead-acid accumulators.   
     
     
         12 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a device configured to separate lithium-ion accumulators.   
     
     
         13 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a device configured to separate ferrous and/or ferromagnetic metals.   
     
     
         14 . The plant of  claim 13 , wherein the device configured to separate ferrous and/or ferromagnetic metals is upstream of the grinder. 
     
     
         15 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more additional grinders;   wherein each of the one or more additional grinders is downstream of a first one of the separator devices and upstream of a second one of the separator devices.   
     
     
         16 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a sieve;   wherein one of the separator devices comprises the sieve.   
     
     
         17 . The plant of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a water pressurizing device; and   at least one injector device;   wherein the at least one injector device is configured to selectively supply pressurized water generated by the water pressurizing device against an output face of the sieve.   
     
     
         18 . The plant of  claim 17 , wherein a direction of the pressurized water selectively supplied against the output face of the sieve is configured to perform a counter-current washing of the sieve. 
     
     
         19 . The plant of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of sieves;   wherein each of the separator devices comprises one of the sieves.   
     
     
         20 . The plant of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 at least one water pressurizing device; and   a plurality of injector devices;   wherein the injector devices are configured to selectively supply pressurized water generated by the at last one water pressurizing device against an output face of respective sieves.