Electrowinning is a process used to recover metals from concentrated solutions by applying a voltage across electrodes immersed in a concentrated solution.
Electrowinning is commonly used to recover base metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, and cobalt (Electrowinning, n.d.).
In electrowinning, an electrical current is passed from an inert anode (oxidation, made from lead (Pb)) through a leach solution containing the dissolved metal ions so that the metal is recovered as it is deposited in an electroplating process onto the cathode (reduction, stainless steel, aluminium (Al), titanium (Ti)).
The anode consists of the impure metal (e.g., copper) to be refined. The impure metallic anode is oxidized and the metal dissolves into solution. The metal ions migrate through the acidic electrolyte towards the cathode where the pure metal is deposited. Insoluble solid impurities sediment below the anode often contains valuable rare elements such as gold, silver and selenium (gabrielefilosi, 2023).
References:
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Electrowinning. (n.d.). Metso. Retrieved April 1, 2025, from https://www.metso.com/metals-refining/solutions/hydrometallurgy/electrowinning/
gabrielefilosi. (2023, March 22).
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Electrowinning: A Complete Guide. PREDEST EC – EO. from
