The disclosure provides a method of producing hydrogen. The method comprises conducting a thermochemical reaction by contacting a metal, or an alloy thereof, with steam to produce a metal oxide and/or a metal hydroxide and hydrogen. The method then comprises contacting the metal oxide and/or the metal hydroxide produced in the thermochemical reaction with water or a basic aqueous solution to produce a solution comprising a metal ion. Finally, the method comprises conducting an electrochemical reaction by applying a voltage across an anode and a cathode, whereby at least a portion of the cathode contacts the solution comprising the metal ion, to produce hydrogen, oxygen and the metal, or the alloy thereof.

A method for the manufacture of insoluble lead anodes, with low segregation of the constituent elements of the anodic alloy for the electrowinning of metals, free of buckling, used in electrolytic processes, which comprises: Obtaining a continuous plate (4) of lead or lead alloy 10 to 30 mm thick by 900 to 1,100 mm wide by means of a continuous casting process; Cut the continuous plate (4) according to a determined length obtaining a pre-plate (6) that will give the length of one or more plates of the anode (8); Roll the lead or lead alloy pre-plate (6) using a cold rolling mill (7) to a thickness of 6 to 12 mm, keeping the cold rolling temperature of the pre-plate under 60° C., obtaining the anode plate(s) (8); Remove the anode plate (8) from the rolling mill (7); Weld (12) a copper bar (10) to the upper end of the anode plate (11).

A method for the manufacture of insoluble lead anodes, with low segregation of the constituent elements of the anodic alloy for the electrowinning of metals, free of buckling, used in electrolytic processes, which comprises: Obtaining a continuous plate (4) of lead or lead alloy 10 to 30 mm thick by 900 to 1,100 mm wide by means of a continuous casting process; Cut the continuous plate (4) according to a determined length obtaining a pre-plate (6) that will give the length of one or more plates of the anode (8); Roll the lead or lead alloy pre-plate (6) using a cold rolling mill (7) to a thickness of 6 to 12 mm, keeping the cold rolling temperature of the pre-plate under 60° C., obtaining the anode plate(s) (8); Remove the anode plate (8) from the rolling mill (7); Weld (12) a copper bar (10) to the upper end of the anode plate (11).

Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous process. The lead paste is contacted with a base to generate a supernatant and a precipitate. The precipitate is separated from the supernatant, and is contacted with an alkane sulfonic acid to generate a mixture of lead ion solution and insoluble lead dioxide. The lead dioxide is reduced with a reducing agent to form lead oxide, and the lead oxide is combined with the lead ion solution to form a combined lead ion solution to so allow a continuous process without lead dioxide accumulation. Lead is recovered from the combined lead ion solution using electrolysis.

The invention relates to an electrochemical reactor for continuous copper electrodeposition at high current densities with copper sulfate electrolytes, which comprises devices and systems of functional means that are linked and operated in line, thereby forming a triad, for standardising operational conditions in a series of operative parallel reactors. The triad, installed in each existing or new electrolytic container, comprises: a gentle electrolyte agitation system (AGSEL) with means for pulsing control of the aeration volume diffused by bubbling directed into each inter-cathodic space; a duo of systems linked in line, which comprises a system of removable anode covers (CAR) for containing, confining and coalescing the acid mist; and an acid mist recycling system (SIRENA) that captures non-coalesced electrolyte aerosols and condenses the steam, returning same to the process, while the pollutants of the gaseous fluid from the reactor are substantially diluted.

The invention relates to an electrochemical reactor for continuous copper electrodeposition at high current densities with copper sulfate electrolytes, which comprises devices and systems of functional means that are linked and operated in line, thereby forming a triad, for standardising operational conditions in a series of operative parallel reactors. The triad, installed in each existing or new electrolytic container, comprises: a gentle electrolyte agitation system (AGSEL) with means for pulsing control of the aeration volume diffused by bubbling directed into each inter-cathodic space; a duo of systems linked in line, which comprises a system of removable anode covers (CAR) for containing, confining and coalescing the acid mist; and an acid mist recycling system (SIRENA) that captures non-coalesced electrolyte aerosols and condenses the steam, returning same to the process, while the pollutants of the gaseous fluid from the reactor are substantially diluted.

An environmentally friendly (e.g. no acid, base, or cyanide) system and process for large scale extraction of metal ion into aerobic molten salt (or ionic liquid) and the electrodeposition of metal (e.g. copper, gold, silver, etc.) from the metal ion dissolved in the molten salt. The non-volatile low vapor pressure liquid salt is reusable, and heat from the molten slag can heat the molten salts or ionic liquids. Another embodiment comprises a one-pot apparatus for the extraction of metal (e.g. copper) from metal earths and electrodepositing the metal using a low melting (209 C.) aerated NaKZn chloride salt in which copper metal oxidizes and is converted to soluble copper chloride. When an electrical power supply is connected to the graphite vessel (cathode) and to copper rods in the melt (anodes), then the copper chloride is deposited as copper metal by electroreduction on the bottom of the graphite reaction vessel.

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for producing Ac-225 from Ra-226, comprising submitting Ra-226 to a photo-nuclear process, collecting an electrochemical precipitation of an Ac-225 on a cathode in a recipient, removing the cathode from the recipient after the electrochemical precipitation of the Ac-225, transferring the cathode to a hot cell environment, and extracting the Ac-225 from the cathode in the hot cell environment. The Ra-226 may comprise a liquid solution in the recipient, and submitting Ra-226 to the photo-nuclear process may comprise irradiating the Ra-226 to produce Ra-225. The Ra-225 may decay into Ac-225 upon irradiation of the Ra-226.

The present invention relates to a system for superimposing alternating current on direct current flowing through one or more electrolytic cells, for electro-winning or electro-refining processes, in which the terminals of an alternating current source are connected to the first and last electrode of a cell or a group of cells.

A process and system is provided for recovery of one or more metal values using solution extraction techniques and for metal value recovery. In an exemplary embodiment, the solution extraction system comprises a first solution extraction circuit and a second solution extraction circuit. A first metal-bearing solution is provided to the first and second circuit, and a second metal-bearing solution is provided to the first circuit. The first circuit produces a first rich electrolyte solution, which can be forwarded to primary metal value recovery, and a low-grade raffinate, which is forwarded to secondary metal value recovery. The second circuit produces a second rich electrolyte solution, which is also forwarded to primary metal value recovery. The first and second solution extraction circuits have independent organic phases and each circuit can operate independently of the other circuit.