Copper Ion Cementation in Presence of a Magnetic Field

The effect of an electromagnetic field (EMF) on the rate of copper(II) cementation from copper sulfate solutions on a rotating iron cylinder was investigated. The studied variables were cylinder rotation speed, magnetic field strength, and magnetic field direction. The application of EMF increased the rate of cementation in both parallel and perpendicular direction of the magnetic field where the latter proved to be more effective. The rate of mass transfer under an EMF was found to be more than doubled. The enhancement of copper recovery in presence of the EMF is due to the induced motion of Fe+n in the solution which is limited to a certain range of cylinder rotation speed. The power consumption for cementation of copper could be significantly reduced by utilizing EMF. Relatively few reports are available on the effect of the direction of a magnetic field on an electrochemical process. Here, the copper cementation process was selected to investigate the effect of changing the direction of an electromagnetic field. The rate of cementation was enhanced in both parallel and perpendicular direction of the magnetic field with the latter being more effective.