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The modern copper production chain, from ore to widely used high-purity cathode copper, undergoes a complex process of mining, beneficiation, and smelting. The key step in transforming crude copper into a high-purity product is accomplished by copper electrolytic refining equipment. This is the core refining step in the copper metal production process, fulfilling the dual tasks of increasing purity and recovering its overall value.
The copper electrolytic refining process is essentially a precise separation process based on electrochemical principles. The core equipment is a series of electrolytic cells. During operation, crude copper plates, produced by fire refining and with a purity of approximately 99.2% to 99.5%, serve as anodes, while smooth, pure copper sheets serve as cathodes. These two plates are placed alternately in parallel in an electrolytic cell filled with a mixed solution of copper sulfate and sulfuric acid. When direct current is applied, a magical process of "migration and rebirth" begins.
Driven by electric current, the crude copper on the anode undergoes electrochemical dissolution, entering the solution as copper ions. Simultaneously, the copper ions in the electrolyte are reduced at the cathode, preferentially precipitating to form a dense, pure copper layer. This process is like a precise screening process: impurity metals with a negative potential compared to copper (such as iron and nickel) remain in the electrolyte as ions, while precious metals with a positive potential compared to copper and difficult to dissolve (such as gold, silver, and platinum group elements), as well as rare elements such as selenium and tellurium, fall off the anode and settle to the bottom of the electrolytic cell, forming "anode mud" with extremely high recycling value.
Through this precise electrochemical process, the cathode grows refined copper with a purity of more than 99.99%. It has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and ductility, and can meet the stringent requirements of material performance in electronic and electrical fields.
In short, copper electrolysis equipment is the core link in achieving a breakthrough in copper quality and serves as a highly efficient, comprehensive resource recovery platform. Through electrochemical processes, it produces high-purity cathode copper, enriches precious metals and rare elements, and improves the economic benefits and resource utilization of copper smelting, playing an indispensable and key role in modern copper production.