Using a Spreadsheet to Characterize the Performance of Electrolytic Metal Recovery Cells

摘要

Countless publications and patents describe various types of electrolytic metal recovery cells. In most cases, their performance is characterized only by a plot of concentration versus time (e.g., Fig. 1). It is extremely difficult to extract meaningful information from such a plot. In not a few cases, parameters such as total current or total volume of electrolyte (electrolytic recovery is usually carried out in a batch mode) are omitted and, in these cases, such curves are all but useless.