Investigation into the Influence of Sodium Lignosulfonate, Anionic Surfactants, and Their Mixtures on the Copper Cementation Rate by Zinc

Abstract

This article is devoted to the influence of sodium lignosulfonate (SL), anionic surfactants (sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS)), and their mixtures on the copper cementation rate by zinc. The results demonstrated a copper cementation rate decreasing at LS and SDBS concentrations increasing. Excessive zinc consumption was also detected on copper-ion cementation due to LS and SDBS anion adsorption onto positively charged zinc cathodic areas and copper particles. This led to a decrease in the growth rate of nuclei of copper particles and energy consumption for the formation of new nucleation centers, as well as the creation of conditions for reducing the overvoltage of hydrogen evolution. At the same time, an increase in temperature led to zinc consumption decreasing in the presence of LS. The reagents under investigation could be ranked according to their degree of negative influence on copper cementation increasing in the following order: SDS < SDBS < LS. Testing LS and SDS mixtures showed their irregular influence on the copper cementation rate at different temperatures. In experiments with LS and SDBS mixtures, a linear decrease in the copper-ion cementation rate upon an increase in SDBS concentration and simultaneous zinc-consumption enhancement was fixed. Due to the negative influence of the investigated reagents, we offered a purification method from organic impurities through the use of multilayered alumosilicates modified by cationic surfactants. The results indicate the high effectiveness of removing organic impurities from solutions, which allowed us to increase the cementation rate in the presence of the LS and SDBS mixture by 50% while, at the same time, decreasing zinc consumption.