Electrowinning cells with packed bed cathodes can be divided into two groups, those that operate with flow of the electrolyte at a right angle the current flow, and those that operate with parallel solution and current flows. Usually cathodes are of steel wool and anodes of stainless steel. It’s possible for 2 kg of gold to be deposited onto 0.5 kg of steel wool in each cathode compartment before the cell’s current efficiency drops or the cathode becomes blocked by the gold deposit.

The rectangular cell saves space and usually contains at least six cathodes and contains 22-26 ft³ of steel wool.

Thanks Jorge. I really appreciate it. i think we choose steel wool as cathode is to increase the surface area and for the gold to easily get collected as a precipitate. but in very small scale, can i have a stainless steel as my cathode and anode. what i mean is, does steel wool have that much effect in gold deposition in that much small scale? thanks again.

You can consider a Zadra cell. It is a good option for small scale gold operations. In this case, gold is deposited on cylindrical steel wool cathode, The anode is stainless steel. Steel wool was used in the first electrowinning cells used in gold mining operations, it is a good unit and leaks are not a problem. It is interesting to indicate that as the gold deposition takes place, the available surface area tends to decrease.

thanks jorge. i will put that into account

hi Jorge. something came up to my mind. do you thing using graphite as both anode and cathode works out? because the solution i have is of concentration 1.8M of NaOH.

I would be possible to use a graphite cathode, but you need to select the material and evaluate several designs until get any good result. Steel wool and stainless steel are used because they were tested and evaluated in several designs.

helloo gents anyone has electrowinning cell diagram i need it