Abstract:
The current work covers a pyrometallurgical technique to prepare ferronickel alloy (> 95% purity) by recycling spent nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries and exploring the application side of alloy by assessing its microstructural and mechanical properties. XRD analysis confirms the presence of the gamma-Fe-Ni phase, with no peaks indicating the alpha-Fe-Ni phase, due to the processing of the alloy at a high smelting reduction temperature. SEM micrograph also reveals relatively uniform distribution of carbon particles in the matrix. The developed alloy containing 26% nickel reveals remarkable ultimate compressive strength of 781 MPa, which is higher than that of Invar-nickel iron alloy (725 MPa) commonly used in cathode ray tubes. This study highlights the development of the ferronickel alloy and its properties, demonstrating a promising sustainable method for recycling spent Ni-MH batteries.