Masters Theses

Abstract

"The reduction in acid mist generation is an industrial occupational objective in the electrowinning industry of base metals. The technology of electrowinning as an extractive metallurgical technique of metals proficiently contributed to the recovery of pure base metals. During the process of electrowinning, oxygen bubbles are generated on the anode of the electrowinning cell because of the over potential in the cell due to high voltage. The bubbles formed tend to contain sulfuric acid of the electrolyte in the form of liquid-gas ascending particles of the solution. As these bubbles ascend to the surface of the solution, they burst at the solution-air interface due to the surface tension effect, thus emitting acidic vapors (acid mist) into the atmosphere which poses health problems to workers in the electrowinning tank house.

To reduce the amount of acid mist produced during electrowinning, chemical additives (surfactants) are used to affect the surface tension of the electrolyte to suppress the bubbles bursting at the surface of the electrolyte. The most common surfactant used in the copper electrowinning industry was 3M Acid Mist Suppressant FC-1100. The manufacturing of this surfactant has been discontinued by the manufacturer due to environmental issues. As such, a replacement for FC – 1100 was keen through our study.

To find a replacement for FC – 1100, this study conducted a laboratory evaluation of several surfactants using aerosol sampling above an electrolyte sparged with oxygen, phase separation during solvent extraction, and electrowinning.

Results generated from the study showed a possible replacement for the FC – 1100 which is no longer available to the electrowinning industry" -- Abstract, p. iii

Advisor(s)

Xu, Guang

Committee Member(s)

Moats, Michael S.
Kumar, Ashish R.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Mining Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Summer 2024

Pagination

x, 64 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 59-63)

Rights

©2024 Thurman Kollie Elgin , All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12379

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