Metallic Lead Recovery Via Electrowinning from Lead Acetate for Silicon Solar Module Recycling

A new chemistry for lead recovery from silicon module waste is proposed. It involves leaching lead in dilute acetic acid followed by electrowinning to directly recover metallic lead. Cyclic voltammetry reveals that the lead reduction potential is - 0.39 V vs silver/silver chloride in a 0.01 M aqueous lead acetate solution. Structural and chemical analyses confirm the presence of lead on the working electrode after one hour of chronoamperometry at -0.8 V. A small amount of a deposit, most likely lead oxide, is found on the counter electrode.