Sb(V) removal from copper electrorefining electrolyte: Comparative study by different sorbents

Removal of Sb(V) from copper electrolyte by different sorbents such as activated carbon, bentonite, kaolin, resin, zeolite and white sand was investigated. Adsorption capacity of Sb(V) removal from copper electrolyte was as follows: white sand < anionic resin < zeolite < kaolin < activated carbon < bentonite. Bentonite was characterized using FTIR, XRF, XRD, SEM and BET methods. The results show specific surface area of 95 m²/g and particles size of 175 nm for bentonite. The optimum conditions for the maximum removal of Sb are contact time 10 min, 4 g bentonite and temperature of 40 °C. The adsorption of Sb(V) on bentonite is followed by pseudo-second-order kinetic (R²=0.996 and k=9×10^?5 g/(mg·min)). Thermodynamic results reveal that the adsorption of Sb(V) onto bentonite from copper electrolyte is endothermic and spontaneous process (ΔG^Θ=–4806 kJ/(mol·K). The adsorption data fit both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. Bentonite has the maximum adsorption capacity of 10000 mg/g for adsorption of Sb(V) in copper electrolyte. The adsorption of Zn, Co, Cu and Bi that present in the copper electrolyte is very low and insignificant.     

Recovering copper and copper chemicals from spent alkaline etchant

As the demand for printed wiring boards in electronic components has increased, the amount of spent-alkaline etchant as an industrial waste has also increased. This article provides a brief review of the methods employed at Meltex for recovering copper and chemicals from alkaline etchant. T. Kawashima earned his B.S. in chemistry from Waseda University, Tokyo in 1955. He is currently president and representative director of Meltex.     

The mineralogy of copper electrorefining

The impurities in copper anodes occur both in solid solution in the copper metal matrix and in discrete inclusions at the copper grain boundaries. During electrorefining, all the impurities undergo extensive chemical and/or morphological changes. These changes impact significantly on anode passivation, cathode quality, electrolyte purification and, of course, the subsequent recovery of by-products from the anode slimes. Recently, mineralogical studies have been undertaken to characterize the various impurities and elucidate their transformations during copper electrorefining.     

The direct electrorefining of copper matte

Direct electrorefining of copper matte would be a desirable alternative to copper converting and its associated troublesome sulfur dioxide emissions. After more than 100 years of study, however, no commercial process has been developed, even though an analogous process for the direct electrorefining of nickel matte anodes has been operating successfully for several decades. The unique difficulties associated with copper matte electrorefining are related to the properties of the matte’s decomposition products.     

Recovering selenium from copper refinery slimes

The selenium contained within copper refinery slimes may be recovered advantageously by roasting at about 600°C. While roasting in air is inefficient, roasting in a sulfating atmosphere enables practically complete selenium recovery. Based on laboratory tests, a new selenium recovery process was adopted at Outokumpu Copper Refinery. In this process, sulfation is achieved by feeding sulfur dioxide and oxygen into the roasting furnace.     

Recovering selenium and tellurium from copper refinery slimes

The significant amount of selenium and tellurium present in copper refinery slimes often makes the recovery of these elements not only desirable, but economically viable. While a variety of processes have been developed to this end, some are more feasible because they recover greater values and are environmentally safer.     

Recovering copper from etchant waste by hydrogen reduction

The recovery of copper from α-etchant waste and pure copper solution was investigated by means of the hydrogen-reduction process. The effects of hydrogen pressure, temperature, agitation rate, and reaction time on the amount of copper recovery were considered. The results indicate that the amount of copper recovery exhibited a maximum value with increases in the hydrogen pressure and stirring rate; however, it was not affected by the reaction temperature. The maximum amount of recovery was 60% from the α-etchant sclution when the hydrogen pressure was 2 MPa and the stirring rate was 500 rpm. C.-W. Won earned his Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering at Korea University in 1983. He is currently a professor at Chungnam National University. Y. Kang earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in 1985. He is currently a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Chungnam National University.     

Using polyethylene glycols as alternative inhibitors in copper electrorefining

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with well-defined molecular weight ranges are interesting alternative additives for copper electrorefining. In comparison to glue, PEGs offer high thermal stability and slow chemical decomposition at higher temperatures, with high cathodic polarization. Thosefactors are advantages for an optimized process control in copper electrorefining. Investigations into cathodic polarization as a function of molecular weight and concentration at 500 A/m², and also into the half-life of PEGs, were conducted in typical copper electrolyte.     

镍电解阳极液深度除铜

将"活性硫化镍法"所用的除铜试剂"硫化镍"视为先导化合物,按电子等排原理,通过分子修饰进行类型衍化,修饰阴离子,以一种新设计的含硫化学结构取代S2-,得到的新型除铜剂为NAS和硫化镍混合物.结果表明:当NAS纯度α≥73%(NAS在混合物中所占比例)、除铜剂用量为理论量的1.2倍、溶液pH值为4.0、反应温度为60℃时反应80 min后,采用新型除铜剂从镍电解阳极液中除铜,除铜后溶液中的铜浓度c(Cu2+)可降至1.57×10-5mol/L,除铜渣中铜镍质量比不小于25,远优于工业生产的要求(c(Cu2+)≤1.57×10-5mol/L,渣中铜镍质量比不小于15);NAS在自然条件下放置62 d后,其除铜效果仍然能够满足生产要求,且NAS在除铜过程中没有引入有害离子进入溶液.     

Recovering gold from copper concentrate via the HydroCopper™ process

HydroCopper? technology comprises a chloride-leaching method for copper sulfide concentrates and copper production up to semi-products. As compared with the commonly used sulfate solutions, brine solutions offer aggressiveness and stability of the copper(I) ion and, consequently, a lower energy consumption in leaching. Copper(II) ions and oxygen are used as oxidants. Iron reports to the leaching residue as oxide and sulfur as elemental sulfur. Gold is dissolved and recovered in the third stage of the counter-current leaching when the redox potential reaches higher levels.     

铟电解精炼中电解液酸度对锡含量的影响

研究了铟的电解精炼中电解液的选择与配制和酸度对杂质锡含量的影响,并初步探讨了电解液中锡离子的行为。研究表明：采用In2(SO4)3—H2SO4体系具有组成简单、操作方便、阳极无毒性气体析出的优点。锡在阴极主要以Sn^2 的形式析出,电解液的酸度控制在pH值2—3之间,可将锡含量控制在最低水平。电解过程中,阴极pH值将增大,阳极pH值将变小,可通过加入H2SO4和固体的NaOH颗粒来控制电解液酸度。     

The cuprex metal extraction process: Recovering copper from sulfide ores

The Cuprex? metal extraction process produces cathode-grade copper using a hydrometallurgical process based on chloride leaching of sulfide ore concentrates. The process incorporates several novel steps to overcome the major problems associated with earlier chloride-based processes, including mild leaching conditions using ferric chloride as leachant and solvent extraction of copper usinga novel reagent. This produces a highly concentrated cupric chloride electrolyte from which cathode-grade copper is electrowon in the Metclor cell. The technical viability and robustness of the core technology have been proven in a series of large-scale pilot trials. More recent work has concentrated on supplementary processes to convert the copper powder product to an article of commerce and to recover valuable by-products. A fully integrated scheme is now being developed with updated cost estimates.     

On the influence of small quantities of Bi and Sb on the evolution of microstructure during swaging and heat treatments in copper

In the present work, the influence of small amounts of Bi and Sb on the microstructural evolution of Cu during an ingot metallurgy processing route is investigated. Both elements are known to segregate to grain boundaries in Cu. Cu ingots with an outer diameter of 40 mm containing 0.008 wt.% Bi and 0.92 wt.% Sb, respectively, were vacuum induction melted, cast, and gradually swaged down to a final diameter of 11.7 mm with several intermediate annealing steps. Subsequent annealing treatments were conducted to investigate the microstructural evolution of the swaged bars. Optical microscopy, hardness testing and orientation imaging microscopy were used to characterize the deformation and recrystallization behavior, as well as the evolution of texture in the alloys. The results are then compared to those obtained for pure Cu. It is shown that even small amounts of alloying elements significantly alter the hardening behavior and suppress recrystallization at low temperatures. At higher temperatures, recrystallization in Cu, Cu-Bi and Cu-Sb leads to different textures.     

Sb、Bi在厚大断面球铁件中的应用

厚大断面球铁件易出现开花状石墨、碎块石墨等缺陷，通过使用Ba、Bi、Sb等微量元素，采用合理的浇冒系统，结合冷铁使用，强化孕育，保证了铸件质量。     

High current density copper electrorefining and electrowinning in a series cell Part I—Electroretining

In this portion of a two-part paper, the design and testing of a series cell capable of achieving power consumption as low as 0.18 kwh per Ib at 84 ASF is described.     

Deep removal of copper from cobalt sulfate electrolyte by ion-exchange

SP-C was applied for the removal of Cu²⁺ from simulated cobalt sulfate electrolyte containing Co²⁺ 50 g/L and Cu²⁺ 0.5–2.0 g/L. Experimental conditions included pH of 2–4, temperature of 20–60 °C and contact time of 10–40 min. The investigation demonstrated that SP-C had recommendable efficiency in adsorbing Cu²⁺ from the electrolyte with 25- to 100-fold of Co²⁺. The optimal adsorption conditions of SP-C were pH of 4, contact time of 30 min and ambient temperature. The study also showed that the loaded resin could be effectively eluted with 2.0 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution at a contact time of 40 min; the peak concentration of Cu²⁺ in the eluate was about 35 g/L. The sorption characteristics of Cu²⁺ by SP-C could be described by Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo second-order kinetic equation. Infrared spectra showed that nitrogen atoms in the functional group coordinated with Cu²⁺ to form coordination bands.     

Preparation of copper arsenite and its application in purification of copper electrolyte

The preparation of copper arsenite with arsenic trioxide was presented and its application in the purification of copper electrolyte was proposed. The variables of n（OH^-）/n（As）, n（Cu）/n（As）, NaOH concentration, reaction temperature and pH value have some effects on the yield of copper arsenite. The optimum conditions of preparing copper arsenite are that the molar ratio of alkali to arsenic is 2：1, NaOH concentration is 1 mol/L, the molar ratio of copper to arsenic is 2：1, pH value is 6.0 and reaction temperature is 20℃. The yield of copper arsenite is as high as 98.65% under optimum conditions and the molar ratio of Cu to As in the product is about 5：4. The results of the purification experiments show that the removal rate of antimony and bismuth is 53.85% and 53.33% respectively after 20g/L copper arsenite is added. The purification of copper electrolyte with copper arsenite has the advantages of simple technique, good purification performance and low cost.     

Removal of copper from nickel anode electrolyte through ion exchange

An novel method for removal of copper from nickel anodic electrolyte through ion exchange was studied after cupric deoxidization. Orthogonal design experiments show the optimum conditions of deoxidizing cupric into Cu+ in the nickel electrolyte are the reductive agent dosage is 4.5 times as the theoretic dosage and reaction time is 0.5 h at 40 ℃ and pH 2.0. Ion exchange experiments show that the breakthrough capacity(Y) decreases with the increase of the linear flow rate(X): Y=1.559-0.194X+ 0.006 7X2. Breakthrough capacity increases with the increase of the ratio of height to radius(RRH). The higher the initial copper concentration, the less the breakthrough capacity(BC). SO42- and nickel concentration have no obvious change during the process of sorption, so it is not necessary to worry about the loss of nickel during the sorption process. Desorption experiments show that copper desorption from the resin is made perfectly with NaCl solution added with 4% (volume fraction) H2O2 (30%) and more than 100 g/L CuCl2 solution is achieved.     

Recovering copper using a combination of electrolytic cells

Electrolytic winning (or electrowinning), the most widely used pure metal production technique, permits the recovery of metal values from a greater variety of ever-decreasing grades of feedstock and compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Over the past decades, the metallurgical industry has made tremendous progress in recovering metals from tankhouse electrolytes, purified leaching solutions, and industrial wastewater. Improved solutionpurification and electrowinning techniques produce metal products swiftly and return or discharge environmentally compliant spent solutions immediately. This paper presents a new process for combining electrolytic cells to make a typical electrowinning process more practical, efficient, and economical.