Introduction to Titanium Anodes for Hydrometallurgy

Gr1 or Gr2 pure titanium mesh as substrate, lead dioxide as coating by electroplating technique. The connection is titanium claded copper that is welded together with the anode.

Mar 26th,2025 292 견해

1. Application areas: Electrodeposited copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc and other non-ferrous metals
2. Product specifications: Processing according to drawings
3. Anode lifespan: Over 2 years
4. Coating type: Titanium based lead dioxide anode
5. Electrochemical performance and lifespan testing (refer to standard HG/T2471-2007 Q/CLTN-2012)
Coating thickness: 3mm
Oxygen evolution potential: <1.73v
Test conditions: 15% HSO4
CL content: ＜2g/L
Lifespan: ＞500h
6. Technical indicators of titanium based lead dioxide
A. Technical performance of insoluble anode plate
(1) The anode plate is coated with a titanium based precious metal intermediate layer, α - pbO2 and β - PbO2, and the conductive rod is made of
Titanium copper composite rod: The anode plate and conductive rod are connected by welding.
(2) The thickness of the substrate titanium mesh is 2mm, the thickness of the coating on one side is not less than 0.6mm, and the thickness of the finished product is not less than
3.5mm; The board surface should be flat, and there should be no layering, cracks, or other inclusions on the finished product surface.
(3) Verticality of the board surface: The upper and lower parts of the board surface have an error of less than ± 6mm
(4) Lifespan: Corrosion resistant, bending resistant, with a lifespan of over 2 years
(5) After processing, it is required that the plane tolerance and surface tolerance be less than ± 5mm, and the diagonal tolerance be less than 3mm
(6) Strictly follow the drawings for processing
B. Electrochemical performance of insoluble anode plate
Finished anode plate conductivity: 4-5 * 10-5 Ω;
Surface hardness: HRC=11
Oxygen evolution overpotential: 1.73-1.9v (Vs.SCE, 150g/L sulfuric acid, 1000A/m2)
7. Actual usage data
A. Actual usage data of 10000 tons of electrolytic nickel per year
Project name: Lead dioxide anode for nickel production system
Purpose of use: 1. Cost effectiveness of lead dioxide anode in electric nickel system and iridium tantalum anode
2. The effect of corrugated plate lead dioxide anode on cathodic nickel deposition
Operating conditions: pH=1.5, sulfuric acid: 40g/L, nickel sulfate: 40-55g/L
Boric acid: 5-7g/L Temperature: 70 ° Pole spacing: 60-70mm (with diaphragm bag)
Chloride ion:< 1g/L
Anode size: 4 * 820 * 1260 (lead dioxide) 4 * 760 * 820 (iridium tantalum) 8 * 760 * 820 (lead plate)

Anode	Current density A/m2	Cell voltage V	Current Efficiency	Working Life
Pb anode	180-230	3.9-4.6	89%-91%	12-18 months
Ir-Ta coated titanium anode	180-230	3.4-4.0	93%-95%	more than 24 months
PbO2 coated titanium anode	180-230	3.8-4.5	92%-94%	more than 24 months

B. Actual usage data of 2000 tons of secondary copper removal per year
Project Name: Lead dioxide anode for secondary copper removal production system
Purpose of use: Lead dioxide anode in secondary copper removal system and cost-effectiveness of lead anode
Operating conditions: pH=1.5, sulfuric acid: 170g/L, copper ions: 50-55g/L
Bone glue: 5-7g/L Temperature: 60 ° Pole spacing: 55mm
Chloride ion:< 50ppm

Anode	Current density A/m2	Cell Voltage V	Current Efficiency	Working Life
Pb Anode	180-210	2.-2.1	89%-91%	12 months
PbO2 coated titanium anode	180-210	1.9-2.1	92%-94%	more than 24 months

8. Repair of titanium based lead dioxide anode
When the anode fails, the old coating can be cleaned to remove the sediment and old coating on the anode before recoating. Repeated use can save investment in titanium substrate costs. Our company has invented a method for removing waste titanium anode coatings, which can effectively remove old coatings. Each time the titanium substrate is recoated, there will be a thinning of about 0.3mm. The number of recoating times depends on the thickness of the substrate, and the lifespan of the recoated anode is about 90% or more of that of the newly made anode. Therefore, it is usually recommended that the titanium anode be recoated 1-2 times.
9. Comparison between titanium based lead dioxide anode and traditional lead anode:
The whole tank test work of the production system has shown the following advantages:
A、 No pollution to the electrolyte, no need for complex lead removal system expenses.
B、 The external dimensions are fixed and will not cause anode deformation due to self dissolution, which will affect the cathode product phase.
C、 Due to the non consumption of titanium substrate during the electrolysis process, the titanium substrate can be repeatedly recoated
D、 High current efficiency. At present, the current efficiency of titanium anodes produced by our company can reach 93-95%, while the current efficiency of traditional lead anodes is only 89-91%.
E、 The slot voltage is low. The voltage of the titanium based lead dioxide anode tank produced by our company is 2% -3% lower than that of the lead anode tank, and the energy-saving effect is very significant.
F、 The quality of cathode products is high. Due to the absence of lead in the solution, lead contamination has been eliminated.
G、 It can operate at high currents, and lead anodes dissolve quickly under high currents. Titanium based lead dioxide anodes can withstand currents of over 500A/m2, making them suitable for short-term high output requirements in production.
H、 Reduce labor intensity and improve working environment. Lead anodes have the disadvantages of heavy weight, soft material, thinning during production, and easy deformation, which leads to the deformation of the cathode nickel plate. Workers need to frequently flatten the plate during production, resulting in high labor intensity. Meanwhile, due to lead being a heavy metal with high toxicity, it affects the human nervous system and causes serious environmental pollution. Barium carbonate, also used for lead removal, is a highly toxic substance.
Titanium based lead dioxide anode saves 8% of energy consumption due to higher electrochemical activity than lead anode; Higher selling price for high-quality cathode products. The combined benefits of multiple advantages will be considerable.

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Lead Dioxide Coated Titanium Mesh Anode

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Introduction to Titanium Anodes for Hydrometallurgy