HydrometallurgyandElectrolyticProcesses

(Bello,Cabading,Pilapil,Tan)

Hydrometallurgy
branchofextractivemetallurgywhichdealswiththeprocessesinvolvingaqueous
[1]
solutionstoextractmetalsfromores.

Hydrometallurgyisdividedintothreegeneralareas:
Leaching
aminingtechnologythatinvolvesthetreatmentofmineralmaterials,mainly
oxidizedcontainingdesirablemetalsandwhicharereducedinsizetobe
subjectedtoawetprocesswithacidicorbasicsolutionstodissolvesoluble
elementsandconcentrateinanenrichedsolution,soitisconsidereda
[2]
hydrometallurgicalprocess.
Solutionconcentrationandpurification
Precipitationistheselectiveremovalofacompoundofthetargetedmetalor
removalofamajorimpuritybyprecipitationofoneofitscompounds.
Cementationistheconversionofthemetaliontothemetalbyaredoxreaction.
Atypicalapplicationinvolvesadditionofscrapirontoasolutionofcopperions.
Irondissolvesandcoppermetalisdeposited.
SolventExtractionisamethodtoseparatecompoundsbasedontheirrelative
[4]
solubilitiesintwodifferentimmiscibleliquids.
IonExchangeinvolvesasolutioncontainingamixtureofmetalionsiscontacted
[4]
witharesinthatisinsolubleinthemetalionsolution.
Gasreduction.Treatingasolutionofnickelandammoniawithhydrogenaffords
nickelmetalasitspowder.
Electrowinningisaparticularlyselectiveifexpensiveelectrolysisprocessapplied
totheisolationofpreciousmetals.Goldcanbeelectroplatedfromitssolutions.
Metalormetalcompoundrecovery
involvestheprocessofrefiningextractedmetalsforcommercialuse
Involveselectrolyticprocesses

[Process]
Themostcommonhydrometallurgicalprocessisleaching,whichinvolvesdissolutionofthe
valuablemetalsintotheaqueoussolution.Afterthesolutionisseparatedfromtheoresolids,
thesolutionisoftensubjectedtovariousprocessesofpurificationandconcentrationbeforethe
valuablemetalisrecovered,eitherinitsmetallicstateorasachemicalcompound.Thesolution

purificationandconcentrationprocessesmayincludeprecipitation,distillation,adsorption,and
solventextraction.Thefinalrecoverystepmayinvolveprecipitation,cementation,oran
[4]
electrometallurgicalprocess.

Electrometallurgyinvolvesmetallurgicalprocessesthattakeplaceinsomeformofelectrolytic
cell.Themostcommontypesofelectrometallurgicalprocessesareelectrowinningand
electrorefining.Electrowinningisanelectrolysisprocessusedtorecovermetalsinaqueous
solution,usuallyastheresultofanorehavingundergoneoneormorehydrometallurgical
processes.Themetalofinterestisplatedontoacathode,whileananodeiscomposedofan
inertelectricalconductor.Electrorefiningisusedtodissolveanimpuremetallicanode(typically
fromasmeltingprocess)andproduceahighpuritycathode.Fusedsaltelectrolysisisanother
electrometallurgicalprocesswherebythevaluablemetalisdissolvedintoamoltensalt,which
actsastheelectrolyte,andthevaluablemetalcollectsonthecathodeofthecell.[3]

Sources:

[1]Brent,H..,"Metallurgy,Survey"inKirkOthmerEncyclopediaofChemicalTechnology,2000,
WileyVCH,Weinheim.doi:10.1002/0471238961.1921182208091911.a01
[2]Estefani,Guillermo."WhatIsMetallurgicalLeaching?".Artinaid.N.p.,2013.Web.29Jan.
2016.
[3]Perry,C.B.,ExtractionMetallurgy.,
http://slideplayer.com/slide/6393311/
[4]"ExtractiveMetallurgy".Boundless(2015):n.pag.Web.29Jan.2016.