Improvement of the efficiency of electrochemical refining of cobalt

To improve the purity of cobalt produced by electrochemical refining, the optimal electrolyte composition and electrolysis mode were determined and a method for diminishing the electrochemical activity of impurity metals in anodic dissolution of the raw metal and a system for deep purification of the electrolyte solution to remove impurities were developed. Cathode deposits with a conditional cobalt content exceeding 99.999 wt %, found in an analysis for the 11 main impurities, were obtained by using the above results in refining of K1A cobalt (≥99.30 wt % Co) in an electrolyzer of distinctive design.