Abstract
This paper describes the application of an anode-support system to the direct electrorefining of copper scrap (> 95%) in sulphuric acid medium. The authors have established that it is possible to utilize a basket of titanium mesh as the anode-support, with chopped scrap inside the basket. It is feasible to utilize this system under the same operational conditions used for the industrial electrorefining of copper with conventional cast anodes. The proposed system avoids all the pyrometallurgical stages needed to produce the traditional cast anodes used in copper electrorefining and acts only as electrical contact between the anodic copper mass and the external current. Cathodes of good quality (> 99.98% Cu) were obtained after 14-day electrolyses, with a current yield of 98.5–99.0% and inventory savings of 48–57% referred to the conventional process using casting anodes.
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Figueroa, M., Gana, R., Kattan, L. et al. Direct electrorefining of copper scrap using a titanium anode-support system in a monopolar cell. J Appl Electrochem 24, 206–211 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00242885
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00242885