Abstract
Conventional crude lead electro-refining based on fluosilicic acid (H2SiF6) system is suffering unwelcome environment burden due to the high volatility and instability of H2SiF6. Recycling secondary lead (Pb) resource resulted in high-content antimony (Sb) in the crude lead. Herein, we proposed a green, efficient and safe methanesulfonic acid (MSA) system for fluorine-free electro-refining process of Sb-rich crude Pb. Influencing mechanism of MSA concentration, additive content, Pb ion concentration, cathodic current density, solution temperature on morphology control and energy performance was investigated. Electro-refining simulation and verification in the MSA system achieved an energy consumption of 119.9 kWhe/t Pb and a current efficiency of 99.23%, which were competitive with 145 kWhe/t Pb and 97.99% in the H2SiF6 system. The Pb purity of the deposit sample was as high as 99.99%. The MSA system had favorable Sb tolerance (4–5% Sb), which was higher than the H2SiF6 system (≤0.8% Sb). Current research provided a technically- and economically-feasible solution for the electro-refining of crude lead with high Sb content.
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