Lead Electrodeposition from Triethylenetetramine Solution Containing Inhibitors

Abstract

Lead can be efficiently electrodeposited from a number of common leaching agents such as mineral acids, carboxylic acids, and bases (hydroxides and ammonia). This paper reports the possibility to deposit lead from a triethylenetetramine solution, which is also a powerful extracting agent for lead sulfate. The high affinity of triethylenetetramine towards lead sulfate molecules makes it a promising candidate for lead recovery from various solid materials, including industrial secondary resources, sewages, and wastes. A popular methodology that can be found in the literature to recover metal from amine is based on purging a solution with carbon dioxide, resulting in lead carbonate precipitation. Here, the direct electrodeposition of lead from an amine solution was reported. The effects of the main process parameters, i.e., current density, temperature, and presence of additives, were examined to enhance the product quality. Bone glue, ethylene glycol, and polyvinylpyrolidone were used as perspective inhibitors of dendritic lead formation. It was shown that the addition of ethylene glycol can significantly reduce their formation as well as discoloration resulting from amine, producing lead metal with a 99.9% purity.