Abstract: The plant for the electrolytic production of a metal in a molten salt bath by deposition at the cathode in the solid state includes an outer casing, means for maintaining an atmosphere inert to the metal to be produced in the casing, a container within the casing and arranged to contain the molten salt bath and having a movable cover, a plurality of electrodes suspended in the molten salt bath each bearing on means for supporting it and connecting it electrically, the means comprising for each of the electrodes a pair of electrically conductive elements facing each other and supported respectively by two opposite walls of the container and handling means associated with the outer casing for removing any one of the electrodes from the container after raising of the movable cover.

Abstract: A method for recovering material from consumed accumulator batteries consists of providing a rotatable table, keeping the table under continuous rotation, continuously feeding a row of batteries tangentially to the periphery of the table in such a manner as to bring one of the side walls of the casing of each battery into contact with the table periphery such that a portion of said side wall projects below the table contour, exerting a radial thrust on that side wall of each battery casing which is opposite the wall in contact with the table periphery such as to keep said battery adhering to said table over a path corresponding to a substantial angle of rotation of the table, separating the lower horizontal wall of the respective casing from each battery by a cutting action carried out on that part of each battery which projects below the table contour while the battery is adhering to the table, so as to enable said wall to be separated from the remaining part of the battery by gravity, and then releasing the