Electrolysis Applications

Electrolysis works on the principle that electrical energy can produce chemical changes. Such processes are known as electrolytic processes. Electrolysis gives rise to a lot of applications that are applicable both on the lab and industrial scale. It is used in the purification of metals electrodeposition on metals. This process is an important part of the chemical and metallurgical industry. Electrolysis can decompose chemical compounds, and it can give a pure form of metal from its impure form. Extraction of metals can also be done from their respective compounds by this process. The elements or compounds extracted will be in pure form or with fewer impurities.

Overview of Electrolysis Applications

The list of applications of the electrolytic process are:

1. Electrodeposition 

2. Chemical manufacturing

3. Electrometallurgy

4. Electrocleaning

5. Electrostripping

6. Electroforming

7. Anodizing 

8. Electropolishing

The detailed description of each process is as follows:

1. Electrodeposition:

Electrodeposition is the process of coating one metal over a metal or nonmetal. This process is used to create layers of metal over the desired surface for protection, decoration etc. As we know, electrolytes on dissolution get split into cations and anions, and when external is applied, they start moving towards respective electrodes. The cation moves toward the cathode, and the anion moves towards the anode. When the ion reaches the electrode and loses its charge without any chemical reaction with the electrode, it gets deposited onto the electrode. This is the principle of electrodeposition. This process is industrially known by different names such as electrocoating, cathodic/anodic electrodeposition, electrophoretic coating or electrophoretic painting. It is used to modify the surface properties of a material by applying a coating of another material over it. It is used to achieve resistance for materials that are prone to corrosion. It also reduces the wear and tear of the substance, improves friction and makes the material heat-tolerant or for decoration purposes.

There are a lot of factors on which the quality of electrodeposition depends which are:

• Nature of electrolyte

• Current density

• Temperature

• Conductivity

• Concentration of electrolyte

• Additional agents 

• Physical and chemical nature of the surface

2. Chemical manufacturing:

Many chemicals are manufactured industrially by using electrolysis. Some chemicals are caustic soda, chlorine, hydrogen, potassium permanganate, oxygen etc. Electrolysis of sodium chloride produces chlorine, NaOH. These chemicals are further used for different purposes. Hydrogen and oxygen gases can be produced from the electrolysis of water.

3. Electrometallurgy:

It consists of two processes, i.e. electrorefining and electro-extraction.

A. Electrorefining: The process involves refining a metal electrochemically. Here, a concentrated mixture of the metal is treated electrochemically, and a pure form of metal is obtained. Even trace elements like gold silver are also removed from the mixture. Almost 100% purity levels are attainable by this process, which is important for metals like copper to give high conductivity. The salt solution of the metal to be purified is taken as an electrolyte, and the impure metal is taken as the anode. As the process starts, the pure metal begins to deposit on the cathode. Copper is refined from a solution of copper sulphate. Silver is refined from its nitrate salt.

B. Electro-extraction: In this process, metal is extracted from its compound form. This process is commercial, and metals obtained are of acceptable purity. Two methods are used for the extraction of metal from ore, depending on its physical state:

Treatment of ore with strong acid to get a salt solution of metal, from which the metal is extracted by electrolysis

Using ore in its molten state or fusing it to get the molten state, followed by electrolysis. Metals such as magnesium and sodium are extracted this way.

4. Electrocleaning:

In the process, the cleaning of a substance is done by electrolysis. A controlled electric current is passed in an electrolytic bath. It combines mechanical and chemical action for cleansing. 

5. Electrostripping:

Two or more metals are separated by electrolysis in this process. Copper is removed from steel by this method.

6. Electroforming:

To reproduce an object by electrodeposition on some mould is known as electroforming. To do so, we must first make an impression of the objects on wax or a wax-like material. The wax mould’s surface has precise measurements. The object’s impression is coated with graphite powder to make it conductible. The mould is then removed. As a cathode, it is dipped into the electrolyte solution. The electrolyte metal will be electrolysed during the process. It gets deposited on the mould’s graphite-coated impressed surface. After getting the desired layer, the piece is removed, and the wax is melted to create a replica of the thing in the form of a metal shell.

7. Anodizing:

This process is used to put a decorative layer onto a material. It is an electrochemical process by which an oxide film layer is deposited on a material. It is done for the protection of a metal surface or decoration purposes or to give a specific colour to the surface or to brighten or smoothen the surface.

8. Electropolishing:

In this process, a layer of metal is removed from the metal surface and gives a shiny surface. It is a non-mechanical way to polish a surface using electric current. It increases the corrosion resistance of a substance. 

Electrolysis is one of the most important processes in chemistry, which has a lot of industrial applications, and each process can have various applications of its own.

Conclusion

In electrolysis chemistry, electrolysis is a method for producing chemical reactions. Shortly, electrolysis is a controlled process of decomposition caused by electrical means. This interaction can either cause the process to go in the opposite direction or not occur (depending on which side of the equation you’re looking at). For example, if an ionic compound was formed from ions, it’s typically favorable to introduce electricity to cause the ions to recombine into stable compounds.

However, sometimes adding an electrical current will create instability in the compounds and encourage them to break apart and separate their individual components. Using electrolysis, chemists are able to discover whether or not the substance is actually a pure element or a compound containing that element and possibly even identify which elements make up the mentioned compound.