PROCESSES DURING PREPARATION OF LEAD-ACID-BATTERY POSITIVE PLATES FROM TETRABASIC LEAD SULFATE (4BS) PASTES

The processes studied during this investigation were paste mixing and curing. Tetrabasic lead sulfate 4BS pastes were prepared by solution and paste methods both from alpha-PbO and mill oxides, and the development of 4BS was carried out already during the paste mixing stage. The 4BS pastes were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and wet-chemical methods, and the results were compared with those obtained from the characterization of corresponding tribasic lead sulfate (3BS) pastes. The preparation method was found to be one dominating factor affecting both the morphology and structure of 4BS active masses. The selection of raw material gave an additional effect on the morphology. Additionally, some differences in the behaviour between 3BS and 4BS pastes were observed. One should take them into account when planning a production line for 4BS pastes.