What is Electrometallurgy?
 
The origin of electrometallurgy goes back to the mid-18^th century when this new technique was first used by Baroque and Mannerist artists in their gold and silver masterpieces. In this technique, electricity is applied so that the metal undergoes a molecular or chemical reaction. In most of the electrometallurgy application, heat is first applied to bring the metal into liquid state because electrometallurgy cannot be performed in aqueous solutions.
 
In 1807, Sir H. Davy was the first person to experiment this method wherein he was able to successfully produce alkali metals after passing an intense dose of electricity to a platinum dish from a platinum wire. The electricity was passed through a mass of fused caustic alkali. After Sir Davy, Mathiessen was able to successfully produce potassium by mixing calcium chlorides and potassium which were fused over a lamp.
 
Thus, we can understand that electrometallurgy is a process in which a jolt of electricity is passed, applying the electrolysis method, with the purpose to purify metals and produce better metal products. The method is usually applied at the end of metal extraction chain.
 
Types of Electrometallurgy
 
There are two primary kinds of electrometallurgy:
 
1. Electrowinning
 
Also known as electro-extraction, Electrowinning is an electrometallurgy process in which metals are extracted from liquefied ores. It uses electroplating technique. The method is popularly used in the purification of non-ferrous metals in an economical manner. The resultant production of Electrowinning is known as Electrowon.
 
To explain this in more detail, the Electrowinning strategy uses current which is passed through an inert anode to a liquid solution which contains the metal and the ensuing reaction extracts the metal and deposits onto the cathodes through the electroplating process.
 
Earlier instances of Electrowinning use can be dated back to Humphrey Davy who obtained sodium from molten sodium hydroxide in 1807.
 
2. Electrorefining
 
In the Electrorefining process, the impure metallic anode is dissolved to produce purified cathode. Like the Electrowinning process, this too removes metal impurities and used on an economic scale for mass production of purified metals. To explain this further, the process consists of anodes which contain unrefined impure metal and when current is passed during the electrolytic process, the anodes corrode into the solution so that the pure metal is extracted and deposited on the cathodes.
 
Earlier instances of Electrorefining use can be dated back to Maximilian when he successfully experimented with copper Electrowinning in 1847 and in 1870; it was patented by James Elkington for commercial use where the first Electrowinning plant was opened in Wales.
 
The first electrometallurgy plan in the United States was opened in Newark, New Jersey in 1883 under the name of Balbach and Sons Refining and Smelting Company.
 
Applications
 
Some of the most common metals used with electrometallurgy process include the alkali metals, cobalt, zinc, gold, silver, lead, copper and chromium. Aluminum is the metal which can be produced through this method only.
 
Commercially, the process has also been used to utilize spent nuclear fuel but no strategic outcome has been derived, In future, electrometallurgy can be used to separate heavy metals like strontium and plutonium from less toxic uranium.