Leaching and solution purification, followed by electrowinning, is a common and growing route to the production of base metals such as copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt. Typically, the electrowinning stage is the most capital-intensive part of this process and involves the highest component of the operating costs. It is also the most crucial stage in relation to the final product quality.
Innovation in base metals electrowinning can lead to increased throughput in tankhouses, reduced operating costs, and improved product quality. This project is aimed at helping industry to achieve these outcomes.
This project covers an important research program in base metals electrowinning that will lead to benefits to industry. The project offers companies the opportunity to tap into a world class R&D activity at a high leverage of sponsorship investment.
The project comprises a modular structure with two concurrent modules to be undertaken within the overall research program:

Module 1: New and Improved Anode Technology

This module aims to develop methods for the assessment of alternative anode materials for use in sulfate systems, particularly copper, zinc & nickel.

Module 2: Enhanced Product Quality

The ability to consistently produce cathodes with the desired physical characteristics is essential, both for produce quality and plant throughput. This module will initially focus on copper & zinc electrowinning but will include recently completed work on nickel and current work on cobalt.

 

Potential benefits of this research project are:

  • Reductions in general operating costs at tankhouses, particularly power and labour costs

  • Increase in anode life, lower maintenance and cost in existing tankhouses and reductions in the capital cost of new tankhouses

  • Improvements to product quality, particularly for nickel, cobalt and zinc cathodes, leading to improved price premiums and increased plant throughputs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Project Leader
 Professor Mike Nicol

Research Institution
 A J Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy

Project Duration
 3 years, commenced September 2002

 

Project Sponsors

  • Bateman Engineering Pty Ltd 

  • Hatch Associates Pty Ltd 

  • Birla Nifty Pty Ltd 

  • TeckCominco Metals Ltd 

  • BHP Billiton 

  • Consolidated Alloys 

  • RSR Technologies 

  • MERIWA 

  • AngloAmerican Corp 

  • Zinifex Ltd 

  • Oxiana 

  • Freeport McMoran  

  • Vale Inco Ltd 

  • Vendanta Hindustan Zinc 

  • Inppamet 

  • Outotec 

  • Votorantim Metais 

For further information contact:

Terry Braden
Research Director & Regional Manager North America
AMIRA International
PO Box 461028
Aurora, Colorado, 80046
USA
Phone +1 (303) 400-3982
Fax +1 (303) 680-0523
Email:
 

terry.braden@amira.com.au