Electrorefining in Sustainable Metals Production

Dear Colleagues,

The steadily growing demand of raw materials is strengthened by urbanization, and the transition towards renewable energy systems and electrical vehicles requires increasing amounts of non-ferrous and specialty metals. Increasing demand puts pressure on metals production processes. To make metals production more sustainable, it is necessary to use resources efficiently and at the same time develop processes that can treat both complex, low-grade primary materials as well as secondary materials. These aims shall be realized without excessive environmental load.

Hydrometallurgy is often used for the production of non-ferrous, noble, and specialty metals, and in hydrometallurgical processes electrorefining is often the final step in the production. Electrorefining is efficient in the production of pure metals because only very small amounts of metallic impurities end up in the cathodes. However, electrorefining is often a large and slow operation requiring physical space, water, and electrical energy. Good maintenance of the process is essential to secure high product quality. This includes, for example, additive control, electrolyte purification, and cathode starting sheet maintenance.

The general focus of this Special Issue of Metals is on papers related to the improvement of production rate, improvement of energy usage, and methods to ascertain product quality. Papers that address the challenges caused by the increasing use of secondary raw materials are encouraged. In this Special Issue, the concept of electrorefining is not limited to traditional aqueous systems, and papers on non-aqueous systems such as ionic liquids and molten salt electrolysis are very welcome.

Dr. Jari Aromaa
Guest Editor

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