The hydrometallurgy of copper . and diaphragpis, this is considered as compensation for thevery impure copper obtained with iron precipitation, and the greaterexpense for accumulation of copper and handling of iron after its deliveryat the mine. From all of the above figures it will be seen that the electrolyticprocesses offer enormous economic possibilities, especially when it isconsidered that the cost, under favorable conditions, is not much greaterthan the refining of blister copper when the blister copper has to beremelted and cast into anodes. In electrolytic installations the plant, whe
The hydrometallurgy of copper . and diaphragpis, this is considered as compensation for thevery impure copper obtained with iron precipitation, and the greaterexpense for accumulation of copper and handling of iron after its deliveryat the mine. From all of the above figures it will be seen that the electrolyticprocesses offer enormous economic possibilities, especially when it isconsidered that the cost, under favorable conditions, is not much greaterthan the refining of blister copper when the blister copper has to beremelted and cast into anodes. In electrolytic installations the plant, when taken as a whole seemsvery large, but the cost of power is low when reduced to the basis of apound or a ton of copper extracted. Economic Relation of Current Density and Voltage.—The economicrelation of current density and voltage may be illustrated from the follow-ing results recorded in electrolyzing a copper sulphate solution: RELATION OF CURRENT DENSITY TO VOLTAGE Amperesper square foot Pouads of copper perkilowatt-hour. Cost of power, per toa of copper. Power atS per kilowatt-year $ From these results it follows that while six times as much copperis deposited in a given time, at 60 amperes per square foot as at 10,it takes three and one-third times the power, per pound of copper, todeposit it. If power is expensive, the lower current density would bepreferable, but as the power becomes cheaper, it would doubtless beeconomy to increase the current density, and reduce other factors inthe total cost of treatment. Aside from the electrolytic precipitation, and regeneration of the sol-vent, the electrolytic methods are not essentially different from chemicalmethods, and on ores adapted to either, a purely chemical or electrolyticprocess, offers no more difficulty than is ordinarily met with in any ofthe solvent processes. It is evident that a process to be operated on a large scale must have,an energetic solvent as the basis. Many processes, both c
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