Abstract

This paper presents a new process for the precipitation of Sb and Bi present in copper refinery electrolytes in the presence of PbO 2 (Chilean Patent No. 45,037). To establish the conditions under which the precipitating compounds form, it was necessary to evaluate the amount of PbO 2 consumed, antimony extraction efficiency, precipitate stability, reaction kinetics, diffraction analysis and X-ray fluorescence, separation of size, plus observation of the precipitates in the electron microscope. Preliminary tests were carried with synthetic copper refinery electrolyte, and then the final testing was done with electrolytes from Chilean refineries. This process provides a real alternative for the treatment of copper refinery electrolytes for the control of Sb and Bi in solution; it is very simple to operate and is low cost compared with competing processes.