Electrowinning and Electrorefining
Abstract
Many high-purity nonferrous metals are produced by electrolysis in processes commonly called electrowinning or electrorefining. Electrowinning involves the winning or recovery of dissolved metal from solution by electrodeposition of solid metal. Electrowinning is used to recover copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, and other metals from aqueous solutions on a commercial scale. Electrorefining is the purification of metal by the simultaneous electrolytic dissolution of impure metal and the electrodeposition of the same metal at a higher purity. Electrorefining is used to purify metals such as copper, gold, lead, and silver that are initially smelted or made into a moderately pure intermediate product such as anodes or Doré.
Recommended Citation
M. S. Moats and M. L. Free, "Electrowinning and Electrorefining," Treatise on Process Metallurgy Volume 2b Unit Processes, pp. 441 - 450, Elsevier, Jan 2025.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-40294-4.00037-2
Department(s)
Materials Science and Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Anode; Cathode; Copper; Current efficiency; Electrorefining; Electrowinning; Refined; Zinc
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-044340295-1;978-044340294-4
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2025 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2025
