Metal recovery unit having concentric electrode elements - which provide interleaved anode and cathode elements of mesh construction

摘要

Unit includes a container which houses a first electrode formed of >=1 perforated element. A second electrode within the container is formed of a plurality of spaced apart highly perforated elements. The first electrode forms an anode and the second electrode forms a cathode of large surface area. The electrode elements are disposed parallel to each other to provide a plurality of parallel channels within the container. An inlet is provided in the bottom of the container and liquid flows from the inlet to an outlet at the top of the container via all of the channels in parallel. Process is used for recovery of precious metals from rinse tank solns. The electrode elements are disposed concentrically to provide a compact arrangement having a large cathode surface area. The channels increase the ion diffusion rate by increasing the steaming velocity of the soln. This results in increased cathode efficiency. The cathode elements are sandblasted to provide maximum cathode surface area.