Exploring the Additive Effects of Aluminium and Potassium Sulfates in Enhancing the Charge Cycle of Lead Acid Batteries

Abstract

The adoption of aluminium sulfate and potassium sulfate as electrolyte additives were investigated to determine the possibility of enhancing the charge cycle of 2V/ 20AH lead acid battery with reference to the conventional dilute sulfuric acid electrolyte. The duration and efficiency of lead acid batteries have been a challenge for industries over time due to weak electrolyte and insufficient charge cycle leading to sulfation. This has affected the long-term production output in manufacturing companies that depend on lead acid batteries as alternative power source. Hence there is need to explore the use of specific sulfate additives that can possibly address this gap. The electrolyte solutions were in three separate charge and discharge cycles involving dilute sulfuric acid electrolyte, dilute sulfuric acid-aluminium sulfate mixed electrolyte and dilute sulfuric acid-potassium sulfate mixed electrolyte for one hour each. The total voltage after 30 minutes charge cycle was 2.3V, 2.35V and 5.10V for dilute sulfuric acid, aluminium sulfate additive and potassium sulfate additive respectively. The cell efficiency for dilute sulfuric acid, aluminium sulfate additive and potassium sulfate additive electrolytes are 77%, 77% and 33% respectively. The electrolyte sulfate additives were of no positive impact to the conventional dilute sulfuric acid electrolyte of a typical lead acid battery due to the low difference in potentials between the terminals.

Performance Analysis of Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) as a Lead-Acid Battery Electrolyte

“…Chemical reactions that occur when alum (Al2(SO4)3) is inside the lead-acid battery are as follows [6] :…”

“…According to the findings of Chijioke et al in their study on incorporating alum as a supplement in the electrolyte of PbO2 batteries, the research indicated that there wasn't a notable enhancement in the charge-discharge properties. This lack of improvement stemmed from the limited potential difference between the positive and negative terminals, leading to minimal charge-discharge cycling of the battery [6]. However, according to Zhengyang et al, alum can be used as an additive to PbO2 battery electrolyte because it inhibits sulfation which can enhance battery performance [4].…”