Electro-winning

By Group 7 & 8
Electro-winning - Definition
 An electrolytic process based on the principles of electrolysis.
 It is an electrometallurgical process used to recover metals from solutions
by applying a voltage across electrodes immersed in the metal containing
solution and is usually the final mineral processing step after most
hydrometallurgical processes.
 An extraction process that produces a metal by electrolysis of an aqueous or
molten salt solution .
 Cathodic deposition of metal e.g. copper from a copper bearing solution by
the passage of an electric current using an insoluble anode.
 It is sometimes called Electroextraction.
 • Electro-winning is commonly practised for aluminium, copper,
zinc, nickel, silver and gold.
• The electrolytic chemical reaction is performed in cells,
constructed of non-conducting material.
• The cell contains a set of cathodes (negative electrodes) and
anodes (positive electrodes) immersed in the metal bearing
Principles of electrolyte (solution/elute).
• The cathodes and anodes are attached to their respective bus
Electro- bars , which supply the electrical potential to the unit.
• When an electro-winning unit is in operation, the electrical
winning potential applied to the electrodes causes dissolved metal ions
in the solution to migrate towards and deposit onto the
cathodes as they are chemically reduced.
• Other components are oxidised at the anode and some remain
in the solution.
• A pure metal is produced at the cathode.
 •It consists of 3 main components:
Electro-winning Unit •Pump 
•Pumps electrolytic solution into
tank.

•Electrolytic cell
•Tank in which electrolysis takes
place.

•Rectifier
• Converts AC to DC.
• Provides electric current to
cathodes and anodes. 
 Electrolytic Cell
• The electrolytic cell (main unit component),
electrically insulated from ground to
minimize stray currents that lower current
efficiency.
• Components of an electrolytic cell consists
of electrodes (cathode and anode), an
electrolyte (electrically conductive solution)
and electric bus bars.
• Cathodes and anodes are connected in a
parallel arrangement. Cathodes are
interleaved between pairs of anodes, then
the metal may be plated onto both sides of
every cathode, making the most of the
available plating surface area.
• It contains n-cathodes and n+1 anodes.
• Cathode-anode gap needs to be as small as
possible to minimize the IR loss due to
solution resistance. Cathodes are grown to a
thickness of about 0,5cm Cu.
 Electrolyte
• An electrolyte is an electrically conductive (metal rich) solution containing the metal to
be recovered. For example during the electro-winning process of copper, copper ions
dissolved in the electrolyte solution have to be recovered.
• It consist of positively and negatively charged ions (cations and anions respectively).
• It acts as a conductor between the cathodes and anodes.
• electro-winning of a metal by electrolysis is usually performed in (electrolyte) an aqueous
solution or molten salts. An example, for copper Most commonly electro-winning is
performed using sulphate solutions.
• Electrolyte must have a certain quality required in the cell (specific concentration), with
enough metal ions at any given time, such that the electrolyte does not run out of the
metal ions.
• Metals are present in the solution as complexes of the metals in positive oxidation states
e.g [Zn(H2O)6]2+ . (Almost all metal recovery processes involve reduction).
 Cathode
• Cathodes are often made of different conducting material, depending on the type of metal to be recovered, e.g for gold, steel
wool material.
• When electric current is provided, an electrical potential difference is created allowing the movement of cations (positively
charges ions) to move towards the cathode, in this case, the desired metal cation.
• Reduction reactions occur at the cathode to produce the metal.
• As time progresses positively charged ions, metal ions are deposited on the cathode.
• Therefore cathodes with pure metals are plated.
• Basic reactions during electro-winning from aqueous solutions are;

M2n+ + 2ne- M(metal)

• Cathodic deposition of the desired metal

• Example of half equation in the case of copper:

(1)
Anode

• Anodes are typically made of inert electrical conducting material, e.g lead alloy for
copper recovery, stainless steel mesh for gold recovery etc.
• Negatively charged ions in the solution accumulate at the anode and are oxidized.
• Generally, oxygen is evolution at the anode.
nH2O nO2 + 2nH+ + 2ne-

For example, copper electro-winning anodic half equation is usually:

Equation 2
 When the rectifier is switched on, the electro-
winning circuit is complete and current begins
to flow through the solution (electrolyte).

Process During the process, electrons from the electric

current, chemically reduce the metal ions to
description form a solid metal compound on the cathode.

of Electro- Electrons pass from anode to the cathode,

completing the electric circuit. The current
winning causes the metal to plate out onto the cathode.
Upon the completion of an electro-winning
batch, the cathodes are laden with enough
metal and are removed from the cell.
 Pure metal at the
cathode.
Products of Gas at the anode e.g
Electro- oxygen, carbon dioxide. 
winning
Regenerated solution
from the electrolyte.
 Cell Electrode Potential
• E values are essentially plots of ∆E for the half reactions relative to the standard hydrogen electrode.
• The cell potential is also called the electromotive force (EMF).
• It is the voltage ∆E ( of the cell under reversible conditions) no current is flowing, or the current is indefinitely
small.
• It represents the driving force for electron transfer. When ∆E > 0, the cell reaction is spontaneous. When ∆E
<0, the reaction is not spontaneous i.e thermodynamically not favored (recall that ∆G=-nF ∆E).
• When a process is thermodynamically not favored, it can be categorized as an electrolysis.

• Example, thermodynamic potential for electro-winning of copper, from equation 1 and 2:

• Which is unfavourable and therefore electrical energy has to be supplied.

• The result is a continuous generation of an acid in the electrolyte.
• Therefore, the full copper electro-winning equation becomes:
 • Additional potential needed beyond the
thermodynamic potential required to make
the half reaction proceed at the desired rate.
• Voltage applied across the anode and cathode
The is determined according to this equation:
overpotential/
overvoltage
Where = Thermodynamic potential
= Cathodic overpotential
= Anodic overpotential
= Total resistance of solution and all contacts in the
electrolytic system.
 Electro-winning equations/ Faradays’ law relationships

Equations that govern the electro-winning process:

1. Faradays law
• It states that the number of moles of metal produced in an electrolysis is directly proportional to the charge passed.
Moles of metal =

where q – charge passed in the electrolysis

F – Faraday 96485C/mole
I – current
n – moles of electrons per mole of electrons produced
t - time
Electro-winning equations/ Faradays’ law relationships

2. Current efficiency
• Is the ratio of actual mass of metal plated to the theoretical mass based on
Faraday;s law. It is usually give as a percentage.
3. Energy efficiency
• Is the ratio of theoretical energy required to the actual energy required as a
percentage.
Electro-winning equations/ Faradays’ law relationships

4. Specific energy consumption

• Is the actual energy required in units of energy per unit amount of metal
plated. E.g in Joules/mole.
5. Metal production rate
• The rate at which the metal is produced on both sides of the cathode
Factors affecting electro-winning
• Current density- Copper plating rate increases with increase in current
density. Excessive current density gives rough, nodular cathode
deposits and decreased copper purity.
• Concentration of electrolyte
• Composition of electrolyte
• Current distribution
• Temperature
• Time
• Flowrate of electrolyte
Applications of Electro-winning

1. Metal recovery.
Used in the mining industry to recover metals from liquid solutions from the leaching or
solvent extraction processes.
2. Waste water treatment
Used to recover non-ferrous metals such as copper, nickel, tin, cadium or precious metals
such as gold, silver and platinum in waste water.
3. Metal or waste recovery and recycling
Metals (Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, Pb, Sn) can be recovered and recycled from electronic scrap and
waste residue. Recovery of palladium from electronic scrap is another example.
Electronic waste from which precious metals can be recycled from.
 Electro-winning for waste recovery and
wastewater treatment
• Processes such as electro-winning can be used to recover metals like copper from wastewater and waste residues.
• Copper can be electro-won straight from wastewater produced by plating plants, semiconductor fabricators,
refineries, and recycling plants, among other places.
• As a result, a high-purity copper cathode can be sold to offset processing expenses, and a de-copperized solution
(50ppm copper) can be treated routinely at an existing effluent treatment plant [8].
• Savings from not having to pay for hazardous waste disposal can sometimes pay for an onsite copper electro-
winning system in a matter of months.
• Waste residues, flue dusts, slags, and so on are frequently complex, low-grade metal mixtures that can be digested
in a conductive electrolyte to recover metal values.
• Low grade residues containing very low amounts of copper, can be further processed to electro-win the copper as
a high purity cathode.
• Other metals, including zinc, aluminium and gold, can also be recovered alongside copper using electro-winning.
Electro-winning

Advantages Disadvantages
Stable recognised technology with low
• Not suitable for extracting
operating costs ferrous metals

Environmentally friendly, safe and permitted

Regeneration of acid

Minimized Pb contamination of the cathode

copper therefore anode life is extended anode
Electro-winning and Electrorefining
Electro-winning Electrorefining
Employed when the metal is already Used when an anode is cast from impure
dissolved into solution metal

Recover metals from metal solutions. Purify metals, remove impurities from a
metal.

Metal ions are reduced and the pure metal Impure metal gets oxidized into the
is then deposited on the cathode solution by the movement of ions and thus
pure metal deposited on the cathode.

Utilizes inert anode electrodes Anode is made up of impure metal and

takes part in the reaction.
 Case Study 1 
Golden Valley Mine – Electro-winning of Gold
Equipment Setup

• The gold cyanide complex "splits" into a solid gold particle connected to the cathode and
cyanide ions that stay in solution.
• The rectifier provides the electricity (electrons) needed for the reaction to take place.
• The electro-winning module at GVM is made up of an 2,100L electro-winning cell feed
tank and a 750L electro-winning cell, connected to each other by steel pipes through which
the solution was circulated. The process is carried out at an amperage of 800A for 12 hours
• The cell feed tank was equipped with a heating element for heating the solution and a level
transmitter for measuring the level of the solution in the tank.
• The cell contains a set of cathodes and anodes immersed in the gold bearing solution which
acts as a conductor between the cathodes and the cathodes
Equipment Setup

• The cathodes are made of mild steel wool that is braided around a frame made of stainless
steel for support. The cathodes are kept separate from the anodes by plastic boxes, which
help support the steel wool and keep the cathodes from contacting and short-circuiting the
system.
• Due to the steel wool's enormous surface area, there are numerous potential locations for the
deposition reaction to occur. This increases effectiveness and cuts down on the amount of
time needed for electro-winning.
• The gold bearing solution is pumped at a rate of approximately 1.7L/min from the cell feed
tank to the cell and then circulated between the two until the head and tails assay were less
than 5g/L.
• The head sample was taken from the cell feed tank and the tail sample from the solution in
the electro-winning cell.
Cell Cathodes

•Gold is preferably deposited at the cathode because of its high positive potential of +1.69
compared to those of Silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) which are +0.8 and +0.52 respectively.
•The gold cyanide complex is split into a solid gold particle attached to the cathode and the
cyanide ions that remain in solution. The reaction for the deposition of gold at the cathode is
as follows:

•When the cathodes were laden with enough Gold, electro-winning the process is stopped or
it is stopped after the 12 hour mark.
•On a weekly basis, water gun is used to remove the solid gold for calcining or acid digestion
followed by smelting to produce a gold bullion.
 Cell Anodes
•These are made of stainless steel. The anode does
not collect gold since its positively charged, but is
necessary for the current to flow, thus completing the
circuit within the cell.
•To prevent corrosion, the anodes should have a pH
greater than 12.5. This highlights the importance of
addition of enough caustic soda during leaching.
•The main reaction at the anode is the production of
oxygen gas by the reaction:
 Factors affecting performance

•Cell current: The rate of gold deposition increases with increasing current, up to a limiting amount at which the
maximum cell efficiency is obtained. Above the limiting current the current is consumed by other side reactions
such as the deposition of other metals such as copper. At Golden Valley Mine the cell current is monitored at
amperages in the range of 750 – 800A.
• Solution conductivity: electro-winning cell efficiency increases with an increase in solution conductivity.
Solution conductivity is increased by the addition of caustic soda prior to electro-winning. This also prevents the
corrosion of the anodes Anode condition: Corrosion of anode generates iron and chromate ions which can be
reduced at the cathode. This reduces the cell efficiency. Chromate ions also inhibit gold deposition at the cathode
due to the formation of an insoluble layer of chromium hydroxide. Chromium hydroxide is also known for
catalysing evolution of hydrogen at the cathode, thus reducing current efficiency. 
•Solution Temperature: An increase in solution temperature increases its conductivity and thereby cell efficiency.
At GVM the solution temperatures were usually above 40 ᵒC. Due to frequent power cuts the heater at the cell feed
tank was switched off because during that period, the rectifier would shut down and result in stripping of the
deposited gold by the solution at high temperature. Cathode surface area: electro-winning efficiency is optimized
by maximizing cathode surface area exposed to the solution.
 Factors affecting performance

•Cell Current: The amount of current, or electrons, flowing through the cell is essentially measured by the
cell amperage (amps). The amount of gold that can be electrowon depends on the amount of current, as one
electron is needed to deposit one gold atom. Up until a limited quantity, the rate of gold deposition increases
with increasing current; at this point, the maximum cell current efficiency is attained. Over this level, the
current is absorbed by other side reactions that do not contribute to the continued deposition of gold, such as
the evolution of hydrogen and the deposition of other metals, such as copper.
•Gold Concentration: A faster rate of gold deposition is possible with higher gold concentrations in the
eluate.
•Eluate mixing and short-circuiting: increase mixing intensity and reduce solution Internal short-circuiting
would increase the rate of deposition. The cell would need to be physically changed or the flowrate would
need to be adjusted in order to change the solution flow properties
•Cyanide Concentration: Typically, for optimal cell performance, a higher cell operating voltage is needed
the greater the cyanide concentration in the eluate.
 Case Study 2
Zinc corporation of South Africa –
Electro-winning of Zinc
 Introduction

• Zincor operates an integrated roast-leach-electrowinning zinc production plant

near Springs in the Republic of South Africa.
• Zincor is South Africa's only zinc refinery and is currently one of the
operations of Kumba Base Metals, a division of Kumba Resources.
• Zincor was originally managed by Gold Fields of South Africa and was built
on the premises of the defunct Vogelstruisbult gold mine that dates back to
1933.
 Equipment setup

• The current density is ~600 A/m2, and the cathode/anode potential is ~3.6 V.
•The power consumption is ~3 400 kWh/ton cathode zinc.
• Zincor uses three transformer rectifier units.
•The incoming feed of 42 kV is stepped down and rectified to direct current which is fed to the
electrolytic cells, each of which contains 40 cathodes and 41 anodes connected electrically in
parallel.
•12 cells are connected in series to form a bank, and 14 to 16 banks are further connected in
series to form a circuit.
•Each cell is fed individually with electrolyte, and the overflows from the individual cells are
collected in a main return launder.
•Half of the spent electrolyte is pumped to the leach circuit, and the other half is added to the
purified solution.
Cathode reaction

•Electrolysis is used to plate the zinc from solution onto aluminium cathodes.
•The plated zinc is stripped manually on a 24-hour cycle.
E = -0.76V
Anode reaction

•Oxygen is liberated at the anodes, which are manufactured from lead

containing 0.5% Ag and 0.05% Ca.
Lastly :

During the electrolysis process, energy is generated in the

cells. This energy is removed from the solution by circulating
it through nine spent-electrolyte cooling towers. 
Some of the manganese sulphate in solution is oxidized to
manganese dioxide at the anodes, forming a sludge. This
sludge is periodically removed during cell cleaning
operations
References

• Barshai, A., 2016. Water online. [Online]

Available at: https://www.wateronline.com/doc/electrowinning-what-is-electrowinning-
0001
[Accessed 20 February 2023].
• Anon., 2008. Researchgate. [Online]
Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324133922_Editors%27_Choice-
Modeling_and_Validation_of_Local_Electrowinning_Electrode_Current_Density_Using_
Two_Phase_Flow_and_Nernst-Planck_Equations/figures?lo=1
•Rojbi, G., 2014. electro-winning and Electrorefining. [Online]
Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/265363337/Electrowinning-course-notes-
hydrometallurgy
• Brown, H.T. et al. (1977) ‘Electrowinning of nickel at the Bindura Smelting and
Refining Company’, (February), pp. 143–145.
• ‘Zinc’ (no date).‘video_02-19-2023_20-48-40’ (no date).
• Benefits, K. (2023) ‘The Electrowinning Process : Part One’, pp. 19–21.‘Solvent-
Extraction-Boom-in-Latin-America-EMJ-December-1995.pdf’ (no date).
• Cell, E. (2023) ‘Electrowinning Cells Kemix - Electrowinning’, pp. 19–21.‘Gold
electrowinning’ (no date).
• Barshai, A. et al. (2016) ‘Electrowinning 101 : What is electrowinning ?’, pp. 1–6.
• Extraction, S. and Kotze, M. (2016) ‘Electrowinning’, (1 M), pp. 1–5.
• Beukes, N.T. and Badenhorst, J. (2009) ‘Copper electrowinning : theoretical and
practical’, pp. 213–240.
Model Questions
1. Describe the Electro-winning process
2. What are the differences between electro-winning and electro-refining?
3. Where can electro-winning processes be used aside from mining?
4. How is electro-winning used for recycling and why?
5. State the purposes of electro-winning
6. State the advantages and disadvantages of the electro-winning process
7. What are factors that affect the electro-winning process?
8. Why is the electrolytic cell made from a no conducting material?
9. Why does the anode cathode gap need to be as small as possible?
10. Where can we apply the electro winning process in industry?
 Caroline Kusangaya N0188058V
Tadiwanashe Nhando N0187951Y
Tonderai Chinyani  N0182224W
Praise E Makombera N0182199R
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members Prudence Zhou

Cleopatra Dube
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