Electrowinning Cell
Your Professional Electrowinning Cell Supplier
Sichuan Precision Technology Co., Ltd. (PRS) is a professional engineering company with 20+ years of experience delivering copper plant solutions worldwide.You need more than just equipment. You need a solution that works from day one - and keeps working.Our vision is to make modern copper electrowinning (EW) accessible, scalable, and efficient for all mining operations worldwide.
why choose us
One-Stop Solution
We provide an end-to-end service that covers the entire project cycle—from engineering design, equipment manufacturing, quality inspection, and logistics coordination to on-site installation and commissioning—ensuring seamless control and consistent quality at every stage.
Rich Project Experience
Our team has successfully delivered a wide range of copper EW (Electrowinning) projects with capacities from 3,000 to 50,000 TPA. These projects span multiple countries and operating environments, giving us deep industry expertise and proven technical solutions.
Customized Design
Each project is tailored to local environmental conditions, ore characteristics, production targets, and customer-specific requirements. We provide optimized engineering layouts, equipment configurations, and process flow designs to maximize efficiency and long-term operability.
After-sales Support
We offer comprehensive after-sales service, including 24/7 technical support, remote troubleshooting, timely spare parts supply, and on-site service when required, ensuring reliable operation and minimal maintenance interruptions.
Advantages of Electrowinning Cell
Safe and robust
Our stainless-steel cells are more durable and less at risk of catastrophic fire than fibreglass cells. They are lined with polypropylene for electrical isolation and heat insulation and come with a built-in exhaust plenum to pull toxic fumes from the cell.
Easy sludge removal
Designed for in-cell cathode washing with a portable pressure sprayer or installed spraying system, our electrowinning cells eliminate the need to remove the cathodes for cell servicing, significantly cutting service time by up to 75%.
Customisable configurations
Our electrowinning cells come in various sizes and have electable left- or right-hand orientation plus vertical or horizontal flanges to allow fitting into any existing refinery. The cells are easy to configure during engineering with a range of optional extras enhancing performance and ensuring you receive a cell that suits your application needs.
Technical Specifications
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|
Material |
ETP Grade Copper / Tinned Copper |
|
Conductivity |
≥ 99.9% IACS |
|
Cross-Section Options |
Rectangular / Custom Machined |
|
Surface Treatment |
Bare / Tin Plated / Silver Plated |
|
Insulation Options |
Heat Shrink / PVC / Custom Composite |
|
Connection Type |
Bolted / Welded / Clamped |
|
Busbar Configuration |
Anode busbar / Cathode busbar / Interconnection busbar |
|
Current Carrying Capacity |
Designed per IEC 60439 & project demand |
Electrowinning Vertical Cells:
Vertical cells, which have a pronounced height, are the most common type of design. These cells typically have an anode and cathode that are vertically placed, parallel to each other, creating an electrolytic gap.
Electrowinning Horizontal Cells:
Horizontal cells, as the name implies, adopt a horizontal layout. This design is more suitable for some mechanical and automatic production lines. It can easily integrate with other equipment and processes, thereby improving the overall production efficiency.
Skid Cells:
Skid cells are typically mounted on a base or platform. They are mobile and flexible, applicable for certain production environments that require rapid equipment transfer and adjustment.
Multicell Arrays:
Multicell arrays typically comprise multiple individual cells arranged in a particular order. This design meets the needs of large-scale production by increasing processing capabilities. Moreover, multicell arrays can adopt different electrolytic media according to requirements, thereby expanding the application range.
Specialized Cells:
Specialized electrowinning cells may be developed to meet specific industry needs or particular metal recovery requirements. For example, combined cells may integrate electrowinning and electroless processes, while tandem cells may connect multiple electrowinning stages in series to improve recovery efficiency.
The efficacy of electrowinning as a means of metal recovery relies heavily on routine maintaining and caring for the equipment. Neglecting to maintain the electrowinning cell can lead to disastrous outcomes, such as reduced metal recovery rates, cell damage, or even complete processing plant failure.
Fortunately, a maintained routine is pretty easy and straightforward. It mostly involves regular inspections and cleaning of critical components like anodes and cathodes. Operators should develop a maintenance schedule that includes identifying, servicing, and replacing worn parts of the electrowinning cell. The frequency of these maintenance routines will depend on the type of metal being recovered, solution properties, cell design, and operating conditions.
Applications of Electrowinning Cell
Copper Recovery: The largest application of electrowinning cells, copper ions are separated and deposited in ingots or cathodes. Copper ore or scrap metal is dissolved in sulfuric acid, leading to copper being present as an anion in the solution. Electrodes inserted in the pool lead to cathodes attracting the copper ions that are then deposited as metallic copper. Running an electrowinning cell can lead to a removal efficiency of almost all copper in the liquid solution, sometimes up to 99.99%.
Gold Recovery: The most prominent and well-known application of an electrowinning cell, this utilizes the same principles as copper recovery. However, instead of copper being deposited in the anode, gold is attracted and deposited. Gold can often be found in ore with many other materials; therefore, the electrowinning cell is particularly important in purifying the solution and extracting gold more simply and effectively.
Zinc Recovery: While the process in which zinc is recovered in the electrowinning cell is different than that of copper and gold, it still utilizes the same principle. Zinc ores are dissolved in sulfuric acid, resulting in zinc ions being present in the solution. The zinc ions are then attracted to the cathodes and are crystallized as zinc crystals.
Dye Removal: Surprisingly, an electrowinning cell can also be used to remove particular dyes from wastewater, allowing the water to be reused for various purposes. The organic dye solution is introduced as a working electrode in the electrowinning cell. When electric voltage is then applied, the dye aggregates break, and a considerable part of the dye is then removed from the solution, making it reusable.
Phosphorous Removal: Electrowinning cells are also credited with efficiently removing phosphorus from polluted water. Phosphorous, while an important element to have in the ground, should not be present in water supplies. An electrowinning cell can effectively remove phosphorus through precipitation, thus clarifying the water in the process.
FAQ