Copper Electrolytic

Copper has been part of our lives for thousands of years, from the early coinage of the Roman Empire right through to the 82 tons contained in the Statue of Liberty. Today copper is still used extensively in a number of industries, including electrical wiring, pipe work and coinage.

Copper is mined throughout the world in the form of copper ores and these ores are subsequently refined to extract the pure copper metal. One of the most cost effective refining processes is SX-EW (Solvent Extraction and Electro-Winning), a process which involves dissolving the copper ores into solution and then, using electroplating technology, extracting the copper.

Cobalt sulphate is one of the principal raw materials utilized in the electro-winning process. In the final stages of the process, cobalt sulphate solution is used to react with any residual lead in the solution. If left unreacted, the lead will quickly degrade the anode and reduce the cost efficiency of copper metal production.

Our cobalt products include Shepco Sulphate, which is available as both a crystal and a solution and has been designed specifically for use in this industry.