- #1
mheslep
Gold Member
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The two commercial methods of reducing ZnO to Zn appear to be
Thermal, in the presence of C:
2 ZnO + C → 2 Zn + CO2
and electrowinning:
ZnO + H2SO4 → ZnSO4 + H2O (followed by electrolysis on the ZnSO4)
But what is the effect of straight electrolysis on ZnO in the presence of some electrolyte to begin with? That is, doesn't electrolysis directly reduce ZnO (as in a charging a depleted Zn-Air battery), and if that's the case why isn't ZnO electrolysis an economic way of producing Zn from ore?
Thermal, in the presence of C:
2 ZnO + C → 2 Zn + CO2
and electrowinning:
ZnO + H2SO4 → ZnSO4 + H2O (followed by electrolysis on the ZnSO4)
But what is the effect of straight electrolysis on ZnO in the presence of some electrolyte to begin with? That is, doesn't electrolysis directly reduce ZnO (as in a charging a depleted Zn-Air battery), and if that's the case why isn't ZnO electrolysis an economic way of producing Zn from ore?