Extraction of zinc from scrap steel using zinc-bromine battery technology
type: CreativeWork
description: Steelmaking will likely not reach its carbon neutrality by 2050 without technical innovations. The steel industry struggles with scrap recycling because of zinc content within scrap needing to be of a suitable level (16 wt%) to be economically viable. Current steel recycling methods (pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy) are energy intensive or only pass the problem of recycling onto a separate waste stream. This research investigates the extraction and recovery of zinc from scrap steel using zinc-bromine battery (ZBB) technology. Zinc-bromine flow batteries are a promising technology for energy storage due to their low cost, with coulombic efficiencies of 95 % and energy efficiencies of 75 %. In this research, a static membrane-free ZBB was developed, characterised and optimised for zinc recovery from steel. The electrochemical performance of the cell was characterised using charge-discharge profiles, OCP measurements were also used to characterise the cell. The topography and surface elemental composition of electrode materials were characterised ex-situ by scanning-electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The ZBB cell was firstly developed, characterised and optimised using conventional ZBB materials in order to optimise the design and operation of the cell prior to the incorporation of steel substrates. The cell was designed with an open top, this allowed steel substrates to be dipped into the electrolyte solution without the need to disassemble the cell. The highest performance of the cell was determined to be a 2 M ZnBr2 electrolyte solution with no supporting electrolyte, with a 6 mm thick hydrophobic carbon felt cathode and a 4.65 mm thick hydrophilic carbon felt anode. The area of the electrodes was 7.07 cm2. The charging current and discharging current was determined to be ±100 mA (14.14 mAcm-2). This was achieved by changing controllable variables and directly comparing results against one another. The work demonstrated the feasib…
abstract: Steelmaking will likely not reach its carbon neutrality by 2050 without technical innovations. The steel industry struggles with scrap recycling because of zinc content within scrap needing to be of a suitable level (16 wt%) to be economically viable. Current steel recycling methods (pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy) are energy intensive or only pass the problem of recycling onto a separate waste stream. This research investigates the extraction and recovery of zinc from scrap steel using zinc-bromine battery (ZBB) technology. Zinc-bromine flow batteries are a promising technology for energy storage due to their low cost, with coulombic efficiencies of 95 % and energy efficiencies of 75 %. In this research, a static membrane-free ZBB was developed, characterised and optimised for zinc recovery from steel. The electrochemical performance of the cell was characterised using charge-discharge profiles, OCP measurements were also used to characterise the cell. The topography and surface elemental composition of electrode materials were characterised ex-situ by scanning-electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The ZBB cell was firstly developed, characterised and optimised using conventional ZBB materials in order to optimise the design and operation of the cell prior to the incorporation of steel substrates. The cell was designed with an open top, this allowed steel substrates to be dipped into the electrolyte solution without the need to disassemble the cell. The highest performance of the cell was determined to be a 2 M ZnBr2 electrolyte solution with no supporting electrolyte, with a 6 mm thick hydrophobic carbon felt cathode and a 4.65 mm thick hydrophilic carbon felt anode. The area of the electrodes was 7.07 cm2. The charging current and discharging current was determined to be ±100 mA (14.14 mAcm-2). This was achieved by changing controllable variables and directly comparing results against one another. The work demonstrated the feasib…
author: Standing, Rhys David
language: eng
date published: 2025
date modified: 2026-07-24T04:39:57Z
provider: University of South Wales
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of South Wales