Method of and anodes for use in electrowinning metals
AssigneesIMI Refinery Holdings Limited, Imperial Metal Industries (Kynoch) Limited
InventorsAndrew George Ives, John Roger Bawden Gilbert, Jan Stephan Jacobi, Ian Robert Scholes, David John Astley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Anodes of alloys, which may be fragmented and used in baskets, of passive film-forming metals and elements having atomic numbers 23-29 for use in electrowinning metals, methods of using such anodes, and electrowinning cells incorporating such anodes.
Claims18
A method of electrowinning metal comprising electrolysing an aqueous solution of metal using as an anode an alloy containing one or more high melting point passive film-forming metals selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, niobium and tantalum and one or more of the elements of atomic numbers 23- 29 in the Periodic System of Elements, the amount of elements 23- 29 being greater than that at which passivation of the alloy occurs and less than that amount at which dissolution of the alloy occurs at more than half the faradaic dissolution rate.
A method of recovering an electrowinnable metal from an aqueous solution of the metal which comprises the steps of inserting an anode and a cathode into the aqueous solution, connecting the anode to a positive potential with respect to the cathode, passing an electrical current through the anode and the cathode to electrodeposit the metal onto the cathode and removing the cathodically deposited metal from the solution, characterised in that the anode has as its electrically conducting surface an alloy containing one or more high melting point passive film-forming metals selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, niobium and tantalum and one or more of the elements of atomic numbers 23- 29 of the Periodic System of Elements, the amount of elements 23- 29 being greater than that at which passivation of the alloy occurs and less than that amount at which dissolution of the alloy occurs at more than half the faradaic dissolution rate.
A method of electrowinning metal comprising electrolysing an aqueous solution of metal using as an anode a basket of foraminate high melting point passive, film-forming metal containing in particulate form an alloy containing one or more high melting point passive film-forming metals selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, niobium and tantalum, and one or more of the elements of Atomic Numbers 23- 29 in the Periodic System of Elements, the amount of Elements 23- 29 being greater than that at which passivation of the alloy occurs and less than that amount at which dissolution of the alloy occurs at more than half the faradaic dissolution rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.