Investigation of the Application an‎d Effect of Ultrasonic on the Electrowinning Process of Metallic Materials

10/29/2026 12:00:00 AM

This research investigates the precise effect of applying an ultrasound field at various power levels on the kinetic performance an‎d morphological quality of the final product in the copper electrowinning process. The study’s primary objective is to eva‎luate the techniqueʹs efficacy in overcoming the challenges of mass transfer limitation an‎d the formation of undesirable dendritic structures, which characterize the reference electrowinning process (without external agitation).Experiments were conducted across four distinct conditions: a reference state an‎d three ultrasonic power levels (50, 100, an‎d 150 Watts). Quantitative data, including the deposited mass an‎d Current Efficiency, were measured dynamically over time. Morphological analysis of the cathode surface was performed using a Scanning Electron Microscope an‎d digital image processing techniques. The quantitative results demonstrated that ultrasound application significantly increased the deposition rate an‎d improved CE. The 150 Watt condition was identified as optimal, achieving a Current Efficiency of 97.22% (compared to 77.21% in the reference state). This increase stems from the effective suppression of the parasitic hydrogen reduction reaction, achieved by breaking the diffusion layer via acoustic cavitation. The qualitative morphological analysis confirmed that ultrasound induced a fundamental change in the deposit structure, transforming it from a non-uniform an‎d dendritic state to a fine-grained an‎d compact one. Quantitative SEM analysis showed that the mean grain area was drastically reduced by 80% (from 1.92 to 0.38 μm^2), confirming the dominance of the nucleation rate over crystal growth. A slight increase in the areaʹs coefficient of variation to 54.16% was attributed to the local heterogeneity of the cavitation energy distribution.Ultimately, this research conclusively affirms the effectiveness of the sonoelectrochemical technique in enhancing both the energy efficiency an‎d the final product quality of the copper extraction process, offering a viable operational solution for industrial applications.

استخراج الكتريكي , الكترووينينگ فراصوتي , كاويتاسيون فراصوتي , بازده جريان , مورفولوژي رسوب

Copper Electrowinning , Copper Electrowinning , Copper Electrowinning , Copper Electrowinning , Copper Electrowinning

ERFAN AMANI

REZVAN ABEDINI