Electrometallurgy

Anodized titanium (detail) - a.jpg
Anodized titanium (detail) - a.jpg

Electrometallurgy is a method in metallurgy that uses electrical energy to produce metals by electrolysis. It is usually the last stage in metal production and is therefore preceded by pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical operations.[1] The electrolysis can be done on a molten metal oxide (smelt electrolysis) which is used for example to produce aluminium from aluminium oxide via the Hall-Hérault process. Electrolysis can be used as a final refining stage in pyrometallurgical metal production (electrorefining) and it is also used for reduction of a metal from an aqueous metal salt solution produced by hydrometallurgy (electrowinning).

  1. ^ "Electrometallurgy", Physical Chemistry of Metallurgical Processes, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 523–557, 2016, doi:10.1002/9781119078326.ch12, ISBN 978-1-119-07832-6, retrieved 2020-09-24