Introduction
Zirconium electrolytic refining is the process of obtaining high purity zirconium or hafnium and their compounds by separating them from impurities of various compounds generated in the production and processing of zirconium and hafnium. It is a process of obtaining ultra-pure zirconium and hafnium mainly by electrolytic method or introducing other methods such as liquid-liquid extraction. It is a process of refining to obtain single element and compound products with very high purity.
The Principle of Zirconium Electrolytic Refining
Zirconium electrolytic refining mainly refers to electrolytic refining. Its principle is mainly based on electrolysis. In other words, it is an electrolytic extraction method which removes impurities by making use of the difference between the solubility of different substances in different electrolytes. Usually, the commonly used electrolyte is hydrochloric acid, and the anode is carbon or cathode is stainless steel plate, and then some impurities can be removed. In the electrolytic refining process, the anode and cathode materials are liquid phase blood, or through a semi-solid phase slurry, thus realizing the electrolytic refining of zirconium and hafnium.
The process of zirconium electrolytic refining
The zirconium electrolytic refining mainly consists of three aspects: pre-treatment, electrolytic refining and post-treatment. Generally, before the electrolysis process, the zirconium, hafnium and their compounds are subjected to preliminary processing, such as dissolution of zirconium, hafnium compounds and impurities in an acidic solution, and removal of traces of calcium, sodium and alkaline earth metals, followed by electrocrystallization. In the electrolytic refining process, the electrolytic refining operation is performed with hydrochloric acid as the main electrolyte, and the electrodes are selected depending on the desired product purity. In the post-treatment process, after obtaining the required product, the solution is further treated, followed by solid-liquid separation, filtration, evaporation and concentration processes to obtain the final product.
Conclusion
Zirconium electrolytic refining is a process of obtaining high purity zirconium or hafnium and their compounds by separating them from impurities of various compounds generated in the production and processing. Its principles mainly rely on electrolysis and liquid-liquid extraction. Finally, by going through the preliminary processing, electrolytic refining and post-treatment, a very high purity of zirconium and hafnium can be obtained.
