electrowinning

In this paper we conducted a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of the valorization of spent pickling acid (SPA) generated in the hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) process. We analyzed the environmental impacts of treating one m3 of SPA, comparing the reference treatment consisting of neutralization, precipitation, stabilization, and landfilling of the metallic sludge (scenario #1), with the innovative LIFE2ACID technology (scenario #2) that produces secondary zinc and iron chloride in solution through non-dispersive solvent extraction (NDSX) and electrowinning (EW)...

MnO2 coatings prepared in a sulfate system (S-MnO2 ) and MnO2 prepared in a nitrate system (N-MnO2 ) were successfully deposited on porous Ti/Sn-Sb-RuO x /β-PbO2 substrates by electrodeposition, and their electrochemical properties were studied in detail. The bath composition plays a very important role in the MnO2 coating prepared by electrodeposition at a low current density. The results of scanning electron microscopy show that a Ti/Sn-Sb-RuO x /β-PbO2 /MnO2 electrode has a rough morphology and the unit cell is very good...

PbO2 -Co3 O4 -MnO2 electrodes, used in the electrowinning industry and in the degradation of organic pollutants, have demonstrated an elevated performance through macroscopic electrochemical measurements. However, few reports have investigated localized electrochemical performance, which plays an indispensable role in determining the essential reasons for the improvement of the modified material. In this study, the causes of the increase in electrochemical reactivity are unveiled from a micro perspective through scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman microscopy (Raman), and X-ray photoelectronic energy spectroscopy (XPS)...

The conventional Pb-Ag alloy possesses a high oxygen evolution reaction overpotential, poor stability, and short service life in acidic solutions, making it an unsuitable sort of anode material for the zinc electrowinning process. Therefore, a layered carbon-covered cobalt tetroxide (Co3 O4 @C)-reinforced PbO2 -coated electrode is fabricated via a facile two-step pyrolysis-oxidation and subsequent electrodeposition process. As a result, the reinforced PbO2 -coated electrode exhibits a low OER overpotential of 517 mV at 500 A m-2 and a Tafel slope of 0...

Heap bioleaching, the solubilization of metal ions from metal sulfides by microbial oxidation, is often combined with solvent extraction (SX) and electrowinning to recover, e.g., copper from low-grade ores. After extraction, the leaching solution is recycled, but the entrained organic solvents may be toxic to the microorganisms. Here Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , Leptospirillum ferrooxidans , and Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans were selected to perform bioleaching of chalcopyrite waste rock in the presence of the SX reagent (2...

Nickel is a critical metal for global low-carbon energy transition, but its production processes require massive energy inputs and emit large amounts of pollutants. This study constructed life cycle inventories of the mainstream electrolytic nickel production chains in China at the industrial level and subsequently evaluated their environmental performance via a regionalised life cycle impact assessment method. Results show that environmental indicator results of the electrolytic nickel production from the leaching electrowinning method were 17...

The oxygen evolution reaction kinetics in industrial zinc electrowinning is sluggish, resulting in low electrocatalytic activity and substantial energy expenditure (about one-third of energy was wasted due to the strong polarization effect). Herein, the paper described a core-shell structured MnCo2 O4.5 @C modified PbO2 electrode through the pyrolysis and co-electrodeposition as a promising candidate for zinc electrowinning. As a result, the obtained Pb-0.2%Ag/α-PbO2 /β-PbO2 -MnCo2 O4.5 @C composite electrode showed a sandwich-like structure, where Pb-0...

The state-of-the-art technology of raw silver refining in a silver nitrate-based electrorefining process (Moebius-electrolysis) is accompanied by several disadvantages, both from a technological and from an ecological point of view. In addition, increasing concentrations of critical impurities from secondary sources, like palladium, in raw silver are a further challenge for the future of silver refining. Thus, there is strong motivation for the development of an adequate, alternative process of raw silver refining to substitute the existing Moebius-electrolysis...

Lead (Pb) is the most widely used anode in zinc (Zn) electrowinning and other metallurgical industries. The resource loss and environmental pollution caused by Pb anode corrosion are urgent problems to be solved. A γ-MnO2 precoated anode was prepared successfully to reduce the Pb-containing pollutant. The size effects with its controllable preparation on an industrial scale were studied. Severe nonuniform distribution of γ-MnO2 film was observed with curbing the reduction of anode slime only 68%, when anode size increased from lab to industry...

The study was carried out with the aim to demonstrate the applicability of a combined chemical-electrochemical process for the dismantling of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) created from different types of electronic equipment. The concept implies a simple and less polluting process that allows the chemical dismantling of WPCBs with the simultaneous recovery of copper from the leaching solution and the regeneration of the leaching agent. In order to assess the performance of the dismantling process, various tests were performed on different types of WPCBs using the 0...

In the Hall-Héroult process, prebaked carbon anodes are utilized to produce primary aluminium. The quality of the anode plays a crucial role in the efficiency of electrowinning primary aluminium. In the production of anodes, the anode baking is considered as the stage most frequently causing anode problems. During the baking process, the anode undergoes complex physicochemical transformations. Moreover, the anode at a lower position, imposed by loading pressures from upper anodes, will creep during this process...

The large generation of electronic waste (e-waste) is posing a serious threat to society. It is important to develop sustainable technology for the effective management of e-waste and the recovery of valuable metals from it. The present study employed hydrometallurgical approach for Cu and Ni extraction from waste printed circuit boards (WPCB) of mobile phones. This study demonstrates the application of ammonia-ammonium sulfate leaching for the maximum recovery of Cu and Ni. Investigations revealed that the most favourable reaction parameters for efficient metal extraction are - ammonia concentration - 90 g/L, ammonium sulfate concentration - 180 g/L, H2 O2 concentration - 0...

Lead composites have been used as anodes in the electrowinning process to produce metals such as copper and zinc. Manufacturing stable lead anodes with appropriate mechanical and chemical properties is required to improve the performance of the electrowinning process. In this study, an accumulative roll bonding (ARB) method was used to fabricate a Co/Pb nanocomposite. Utilizing the ARB method can help us to achieve a uniform structure with enhanced mechanical properties via severe plastic deformation. The results showed that suitable tensile properties were obtained in Pb-0...

In the actual mining scenario, copper bioleaching, mainly raw mined material known as run-of-mine (ROM) copper bioleaching, is the best alternative for the treatment of marginal resources that are not currently considered part of the profitable reserves because of the cost associated with leading technologies in copper extraction. It is foreseen that bioleaching will play a complementary role in either concentration-as it does in Minera Escondida Ltd. (MEL)-or chloride main leaching plants. In that way, it will be possible to maximize mines with installed solvent-extraction and electrowinning capacities that have not been operative since the depletion of their oxide ores...

Zinc recovery from spent pickling acids (SPAs) can play an important role in achieving a circular economy in the galvanizing industry. This work evaluates the scale-up of membrane-based solvent extraction technology aimed at the selective separation of zinc from industrial SPAs as a purification step prior to zinc electrowinning (EW). The experiments were carried out at a pilot scale treating SPAs batches of 57 to 91 L in a non-dispersive solvent extraction (NDSX) configuration that simultaneously performed the extraction and backextraction steps...

Acid mine waters (AMWs), generated in the processing of polymetallic sulphides, contain copper and zinc as the main valuable transition metal ions, which are typically removed by liming, due to their great environmental impact. In this context, this work proposes the integration of selective precipitation (SP) and ion-exchange (IX) processes for the separation and recovery of both valuable metals to encourage on-site and off-site management options promoting valorisation routes. Thus, the main objectives of this work were (i) the selective removal of Fe(III) and Al(III), using NaOH under pH control (pH < 5) to avoid the precipitation of Cu(II) and Zn(II) and (ii) the evaluation of a solvent-impregnated resin (Lewatit VP OC 1026, named VP1026) and a cation IX resin (Lewatit TP 207, named TP207) for the sequential extraction of both metal ions from AMW (batch and column experiments)...

Lead pollution precaution caused by lead-based anode corrosion is a hot and challenging issue for zinc electrowinning. A novel functional lead-based anode (MnO2 pre-coated anode-MPA) was precisely fabricated and its long-term performances were studied compared with typical Pb-1%Ag anode (TPA). Results indicated that MPA posed excellent effects on synergistic inhibiting lead dissolution and reducing hazardous pollutants generation, and decreasing the lead content of zinc products by 81%. Further, the underlying mechanism of film growth and transformation in structure, composition and crystal phase, the migration and distribution of lead and anode slime during electrolytic, were clarified in-depth...

This paper presents the results of Co(II) and Ni(II) extraction from model and real solutions using bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid (i.e. Cyanex 272) that are in agreement with waste-to-resources approach, i.e. the recovery of valuable components from wastes. The results from this study shows that, extraction using Cyanex 272 is an efficient method to recover Co(II) selectively from sulfate electrolytes obtained from the leaching of steel scraps of aircraft engines. The highest selectivity value (∼160) of Co(II) extraction over Ni(II) was obtained at a pH of 4...

There is increasing interest in the development of noble metal separation/recovery processes, especially for applications to "urban mining". Common separation/recovery processes for noble metals use a solvent (liquid-liquid) extraction technique in hydrometallurgy. However, these processes are time-consuming and not environmentally friendly, because they use organic solvents for sequential metal ion extractions. Electrowinning is an alternative approach for selective metal precipitation that involves controlling the redox potentials of electrodes but requires specialized equipment and generates hydrogen as a byproduct at the cathode surface under dilute conditions...

Leaching of the hazardous electric arc furnace (EAF) dust containing mainly zinc ferrite and zinc oxide, accompanied by minor concentrations of arsenic compounds, was investigated using sulfuric acid. In order to reach the maximum recovery of zinc, the leaching solution was adjusted to recover both iron and zinc at their maximum possible values. To obtain a high recovery value of zinc and iron, analyzed by AAS, the optimum leaching condition was found to be the temperature of 90 °C, the sulfuric acid concentration of 3 M, the particle size of 75 μm, the S/L ratio of 1:10 g/mL and the leaching time of 2 h...