Abstract:
The presence of metallic and organic solvent impurities in pregnant electrolyte during hydrometallurgical processing causes problems in nickel electrowinning. To overcome these problems, a study on the combined effects of metallic and D2EHPA impurities, on nickel electrodeposition has been carried out. The effects of such impurities on deposit physical appearance, current efficiency, deposit contamination, crystallographic orientation and deposit morphology are discussed. Based on the experimental data and observations, it is possible to achieve smooth and perfect nickel sheet with reasonable current efficiency and purity from the contaminated leach liquors of nickel bearing raw materials being processed in the Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar. Moreover, the economy of the nickel electrowinning process can be improved by careful selection of experimental conditions.