THE NATURE OF COPPER ELECTROWON IN THE PRESENCE OF IRON USING SULFUR-DIOXIDE SPARGING

The nature of copper electrodeposits obtained under conditions of ferrous oxidation and gas (SO//2 with N//2/air) sparging has been studied using synthetic solutions in the absence of organic inhibitors. The quality of the deposit was improved by increasing the sparging rate and temperature and by decreasing the applied current density and sulfuric acid concentration. The copper deposits were found to contain about 14 mu g/g sulfur compared with 5 mu g/ g in the starter cathode. The texture of the deposits was affected by the rate of gas sparging and applied current density. A pyramidal morphology was observed at current densities in the order of 200 A/ m**2. At higher current densities polycrystalline, unoriented dispersion-type deposits were obtained.