Sciencemadness Discussion Board

manganese dioxide batteries

alvis220 - 11-4-2009 at 08:13

Several years ago i disassembled old manganese-carbon batteries, separated zinc, the dark powder and graphite rod. so i have about 8kg of this darkish powder, containing as i guess various manganese oxides hydroxides and salts, also amonium chloride and graphite powder, also lots of zinc oxides and salts. I want to remove all carbon and zinc ions to get relatively pure manganese dioxide. Anyone have tried this to do with batteries?

kclo4 - 11-4-2009 at 12:22

I haven't but there is a bunch of information on how to do it on the forum. Obviously filter and rinse the mixture with a lot of water to get rid of any of the soluble salts from the zinc and ammonium compounds. Possibly use an acid as the zinc might be in the form of an oxide,hydroxide or carbonate which would be insoluble until it was dissolved in an acid such as acetic.
Then I guess try to oxidize the carbon by heating the mixture? This will likely turn the MnO2 into a few different oxides, but I am not sure.

Don't use HCl to clean the product as it will react and produce chlorine.

NeutralIon - 11-4-2009 at 12:35

If these batteries were old and discharged there probably won't be much MnO2 as it will have been reduced to Mn2O3.

You would need to oxidize it to get MnO2.

hissingnoise - 12-4-2009 at 05:36

Quote: Originally posted by terminator  
HI
IT IS TOO EASY.

Is it really, terminator?
Er, I don't think adding NaOH to MnCl2 precipitates MnO2, as you suggest!
I'm open to correction, though!

BTW, on an OT note, your hyper plugging of that "book" is actually tiresome.
If it's written in the same emasculated English as your posts, I certainly won't be reading it!


[Edited on 12-4-2009 by hissingnoise]

alvis220 - 12-4-2009 at 11:42

thanks for advices, i forgot to say that i dont have too much hidrochloric acid at the moment but have unlimited quantities of 50% sulfuric acid, as i work near a swiming pool and they put tonns of h2so4 in pool to raise the ph. any ideas about this process? how easily manganese oxides dissolves in h2so4 and how its possible to remove zinc thru this process?

JohnWW - 12-4-2009 at 11:45

Adding NaOH to an aqueous solution of MnCl2, in water exposed to air, results in a precipitate of mixed hydrous oxides of Mn(II), (III), and (IV), because the dissolved O2 partly oxidizes the Mn(II). This is a step in the titrimetric analysis of dissolved oxygen in water.

Elawr - 16-4-2009 at 22:48

One easy way to prepare battery filler is to leave it lumps to air dry then simply ignite the mixture. The carbon does burn off and much of the zinc and ammonium chloride vaporizes. The resulting product works fine for generating Cl2.

[Edited on 17-4-2009 by Elawr]

Elawr - 16-4-2009 at 22:55

One easy way to prepare battery filler is to leave it in lumps to air dry then simply ignite the mixture. The carbon does burn off and much of the zinc and ammonium chloride vaporizes. The resulting product works fine for generating Cl2.

[Edited on 17-4-2009 by Elawr][/rquote]