The effect of additives on anode passivation in electrorefining of copper

In copper electrorefining process, some additives are added to the electrolyte to improve the morphology of cathode deposits as well as the quality of products. In the present investigation, the effects of thiourea, glue and chloride ions (as additives) on the passivation of industrial copper anodes under high current densities have been reported. Experiments were conducted at 65 °C; using a synthetic electrolyte containing 40 g/l Cu2+ and 160 g/l H2SO4. Results obtained from chronopotentiometry experiments showed that increasing the concentration of chloride ion leads to increase in passivation time. The results also indicated that from a certain level on, namely 2 ppm, the increase in thiourea and glue concentrations decreased the passivation time. Thiourea and glue in low concentrations, i.e. ≤2 ppm, retarded passivation, compared to an electrolyte without additives.