engineering

Hydrometallurgy & Aqueous Processing

The science of extracting metals from ores using aqueous solutions — leaching kinetics, solvent extraction equilibria, electrowinning cell design, selective precipitation, and ion-exchange chromatography for critical mineral recovery.

hydrometallurgyleachingsolvent extractionelectrowinningprecipitationion exchangemetallurgymining

Hydrometallurgy encompasses the techniques for dissolving, separating, and recovering metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled materials using aqueous chemistry. From the massive copper heap-leach operations in Chile to the delicate rare-earth separation cascades in modern refineries, hydrometallurgical processes underpin the supply chains of virtually every advanced technology.

These simulations let you model acid leaching kinetics through shrinking-core theory, design counter-current solvent extraction circuits, optimize electrowinning cell parameters, predict selective precipitation pH windows, and explore ion-exchange breakthrough curves — all grounded in real thermodynamic and kinetic data.

5 interactive simulations

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Electrowinning Cell Design

Simulate an electrowinning cell for metal deposition — optimize current density, voltage, electrolyte composition, and energy consumption for copper, zinc, or nickel recovery

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Ion-Exchange Breakthrough Curves

Simulate ion-exchange column chromatography for metal recovery — model breakthrough curves, resin capacity, and selectivity for hydrometallurgical separations

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Leaching Kinetics & Shrinking-Core Model

Simulate acid leaching of metal ores using the shrinking-core model — explore how particle size, acid concentration, temperature, and diffusion control dissolution rates

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Selective Precipitation & pH Control

Simulate selective metal precipitation by pH adjustment — explore solubility curves, precipitation windows, and co-precipitation risks for multi-metal solutions

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Solvent Extraction & McCabe-Thiele

Simulate counter-current solvent extraction for metal separation — design McCabe-Thiele diagrams, optimize organic/aqueous ratios, and predict stage efficiency