Electrowinning, also known as electroextraction, is the electrodeposition of metals from their ores after they have been dissolved in water by a process known as leaching. A new electrodeposition technology is cyclone electrodeposition, which has an obvious technical advantage in multi-metal purification and separation. It is commonly used to extract low concentrations of copper, gold, silver, cobalt, nickel, zinc and so on, in an acidic solution, including sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and cyanide. Cyclone electrodeposition avoids the concentration polarization caused by the slow flow of an electrolyte, because of the relatively high-speed motion of the electrolyte and electrode. In the traditional electrodeposition process, the thickness of the diffusion layer reduces, and enhances the mass transfer while minimizing an ion exchange. Electrowinning has been known for more than 200 years, and its use in the production of copper has increased dramatically in recent years. Anodes and cathodes are submerged in a solution containing metal ions in traditional electrowinning. Metal ions are reduced and deposited on the cathode, but this causes ions in the surrounding solution to deplete, slowing mass movement and deposition. As a result, extracting the majority of the metal from the solution is difficult, especially when the metal ion concentration is low. Turbulence in the medium is an important approach to increase mass transmission. Cyclones maintain a turbulent flow, allowing for rapid mass transfer. Traditional electrowinning requires recirculating the treated solution for further processing, but cyclone electrowinning technology is a straightforward, one step approach for treating metal ion solutions. The capacity to apply substantially larger current densities due to highly efficient mass transfer is a key benefit of cyclone electrowinning technology. Higher current densities result in a significant rise in the cathode production rate per square meter and cheaper capital expenses. Furthermore, the cyclone electrowinning equipment is extremely simple and has few mechanical components from an engineering point of view. It has a modular design that allows for easy installation, enlargement, and transportation. The technology’s ability to maintain high current efficiency and product quality are also extensive. One of the technology’s fundamental properties is electrowinning of metals efficiently down to extremely low concentrations. Furthermore, the cell is enclosed and does not cause an acid fog problem, resulting in significant cost reductions in terms of construction.
No additives are used, and electrowinning is usually done at room temperature. Also, the cyclone electrowinning cell is more tolerant to impurities than a normal cell. Its strong mass transport characteristics help to maximize target metal recovery while reducing co-plating of other metals. Because of the confined form of the cell and the lack of a ‘water line’, it has a much higher tolerance for entrained organics and chlorides. The cell does not have a lead-based anode in its conventional form, removing a potential source of product contamination. The electrowinning equipment has a modest capital cost, especially when compared to the magnitude of the operation. Only one cathode (Ti starting sheet) and our patented anode are used in a single cyclone electrowinning cell. Our patented water turbine pumps the electrolyte into the cyclone electrowinning cell from the bottom, and it then flows through the cell at high speed in a turbulent flow. As a result, the Cu2+ concentration in electrolytes will drop, but copper deposits on the Ti cathode will increase. Oxygen will be created at the anode and released from the cell at the same time. In a separate system, the acid fog created during the process, is collected and treated. Deposits of around 40~60 kg of copper per 23-hour cycle are finally obtained. It can be used for selective metals; Silver, Gold, Nickel, Chrome, Zinc.... Licensing package is available for local manufacturing and distribution.
