Italy’s De Nora recently presented its innovative solution for copper electrowinning during Copper 2013, the 8th International Conference of its kind in Santiago, Chile. The conference, sponsored by the Institute of Mining Engineers of Chile (IIMCh), takes place every three years and is an opportunity for the most relevant stakeholders in the copper industry to present insights about the economy, mineral processing, extractive mining, environmental, social issues and R&D/innovation on the alternative uses and applications pertaining to the production of copper.

Two technical papers were presented by Carl Brown, the De Nora Technical Assistance DNOx Manager, on the group’s latest development of “an innovative commercial solution” based on the De Nora DSA^® anode. With the paper titled  The De Nora Solution – Part I, DSA Anodes For Copper Electrowinning, Brown presented how the use of DSA anodes for chloride-based electrowinning had contributed to the development of a new solution for sulphate-based copper electrowinning. The results, in terms of dendrite mitigation, energy saving and cathode quality, were shown in a second paper The De Nora Solution part II – Acid Mist Abatement.

Acid mist is an undesirable, but inherent consequence of copper electrowinning, which  at elevated levels can be potentially harmful to the health of  personnel working in the tankhouse, as well as corrosive for metals parts in the plant. Brown explained how the De Nora solution captures the acid mist at source, allowing the plant to operate with an unprecedented low level of atmospheric acid mist.