Electrorefining Process of the Non-Commercial Copper Anodes

The electrorefining process of the non-commercial Cu anodes was tested on the enlarged laboratory equipment over 72 hours. Cu anodes with Ni content of 5 or 10 wt.% and total content of Pb, Sn, and Sb of about 1.5 wt.% were used for the tests. The real waste solution of sulfuric acid character was a working electrolyte of different temperatures (T1 = 63 ±2 ◦C and T2 = 73 ±2 ◦C). The current density of 250 A/m2 was maintained, replicating conditions in commercial processes. Results demonstrated that these anodes can be utilized in commercial copper electrorefining; the tests confirmed that the elements from the anodes were effectively dissolved, total anode passivation did not occur, and copper was deposited onto cathodes. Additionally, the masses of cathode deposits corroborated that Cu ions from the electrolyte were successfully deposited, affirming the viability of non-commercial copper anodes in industrial practices.