Electrowinning

Electrowinning, also called electroextraction, is the electrodeposition of metals from their ores that have been put in solution via a process commonly referred to as leaching.

Both processes use electroplating on a large scale and are important techniques for the economical and straightforward purification of non-ferrous metals.

[1] Insoluble solid impurities sedimenting below the anode often contain valuable rare elements such as gold, silver and selenium.

[2] James Elkington patented the commercial process in 1865 and opened the first successful plant in Pembrey, Wales in 1870.

[3] The first commercial plant in the United States was the Balbach and Sons Refining and Smelting Company in Newark, New Jersey in 1883.

[5] Because metal deposition rates are related to available surface area, maintaining properly working cathodes is important.