Research progress in anodes for zinc electrowinning

Traditional lead anodes are widely used in production of zinc by electrowinning due to their low cost, good conductivity and easy processing. However, the corrosion of lead anodes during the electrolytic process has also lead to the pollution of zinc products and electrolyte and increase of anode use costs. Improving the electrochemical activity and corrosion resistance of the anodes has become one of the important research directions of zinc electrowinning technology. In recent years, based on the corrosion-resistant mechanism in zinc electrowinning processes, a variety of corrosion-resistant anodes with excellent electrochemical performance have been developed, including lead alloy, PbO2, and transition metal oxide coated anodes. This article reviews the research progress of zinc electrowinning anodes such as lead alloy, PbO2 and transition metal oxide coated anodes, and give a prospect of their future development.