Introduction to electrolytic purification of copper:
The crude copper (containing 99% copper) will be made into a thick plate as the anode in advance, and the pure copper will be made into a thin sheet as the cathode, and the mixture of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and copper sulfate (CuSO4) will be used as the electrolyte. After energization, copper dissolves into copper ions (Cu) from the anode and moves towards the cathode, and pure copper is precipitated at the cathode after reaching the cathode and obtaining electrons (also called electrolytic copper).
Impurities in the crude copper, such as iron and zinc, which are more active than copper, are dissolved into ions (Zn and Fe) along with the copper. Since these ions are not easy to precipitate compared with copper ions, electrolysis can be avoided as long as the potential difference is properly adjusted to avoid the precipitation of these ions on the anode. Impurities that are less reactive than copper, such as gold and silver, are deposited at the bottom of the electrolyzer.
The copper sheet produced in this way is called "electrolytic copper" and is of such high quality that it can be used to make electrical products.
What is deposited at the bottom of the electrolyzer is called "anode mud", which is rich in gold and silver, and is very valuable and has a high economic value when it is removed and reprocessed!
Electrolytic copper can be further processed into very fine electrolytic copper powder.
Electrolytic copper powder is light red dendritic powder, easy to oxidize in the humid space, can be dissolved in hot sulfuric acid or nitric acid.
Electrolytic copper powder use:
Widely used in diamond tools, electrocarbon products, friction materials, conductive ink and other powder metallurgy products ......
Rough copper is blown in the copper refining converter, casting molding of copper, containing copper about 98.5%. Its appearance is rough and contains air holes, which gives it its name, also known as "bubble copper".
This crude copper and then refined once, cast into anode copper plate, in the electrolyzer to produce electrolytic copper, crude copper contains gold and silver in the anode below the precipitation, known as the "anode mud", used for refining gold and silver. These gold and silver are symbiotic with copper, and generally copper ores contain gold and silver.
