INDUSTRIAL ELECTRODES - MIXED METAL OXIDES (MMO) ANODES Download the bilingual technical brochure [PDF file (4.6 MB)]

ELECTROCHEM TECHNOLOGIES & MATERIALS INC. is proud to announce the production at its facilities in Boucherville (QC), of industrial mixed metal oxides (MMOs) anodes for both oxygen and chlorine evolution in order to address the specific needs of Canadian customers from the mining, metallurgical, and electrochemical industries and also to support our own electrowinning technologies at client’s sites worldwide.  For instance, our iridium-coated MMO anodes are particularly suitable for operating under high anode current densities in harsh environments such as hot and concentrated sulfuric acid, an anolyte used in novel electrowinning processes.

SUBSTRATES - Various metals, alloys and materials substrates available commercially are offered such as but not limited to: [1] titanium and its alloys, [2] zirconium and its alloys, [3] niobium and its alloys, [4] tantalum and its alloys and also [5] electrically conductive ceramic materials of various composition.

COATINGS - Regarding the coatings chemistries various electro-catalyst formulations can be prepared and customized including: iridium-coated (Ir and IrO2), ruthenium-coated (Ru and RuO2), and platinum-coated or platinized (Pt, PtOx) anodes or a combination to address any specific situation.  In addition, various oxides of valve action (VA) metals are used including but not restricted to: titanium dioxide (TiO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) and tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) or a combination.  For certain specific industrial applications such as: organic electrosynthesis, electro-oxidation, water sanitation, sea water electrolysis, and ozone production other conductive ceramic oxides coatings can be applied on top of the existing MMO coating such as lead dioxide (PbO2) or manganese dioxide (MnO2). Catalysts loading ranging from 5 g/m2 to 50 g/m2 of total mixed metal oxides (MMO) are usually prepared but other custom loadings can be prepared upon request to suit the client needs.

SHAPES - Our manufacturing capabilities in close collaboration with contractors and metal manufacturers in the Montreal area allows us to provide our customers with a wide variety of products shapes such as but not limited to: squares and rectangular sheets, strips, foils, plates, expanded metal and meshes, corrugated and perforated metal plates, wires, rods, discs, bars, and tubes. Customs forms and tailored made anodes according to client’s requirements, specifications and drawings, are also prepared.  Titanium-clad copper bus bards welded directly to our MMO anodes ready to be installed into electroplating or electrowinning tanks are also offered.

DIMENSIONS - At present our current production facility allows us to prepare only mixed metal oxides anodes with geometric surface area ranging from few square inches (few square centimeters) up to 4.25 square feet (ca. 0.395 m2) and we plan to expand our production capabilities in the near future in order to fabricate anodes with greater active surface area.

COATING SERVICE LIFE & CONSUMPTION RATE - The expected service life of MMO anodes is usually expressed as the circulated electric charge per unit surface area.  It reaches several millions of ampere-hours per square meter (MAh/m2) for MMO anodes.  Moreover, the consumption rate of the mixed metal oxides coating is usually low in the order of few milligrams per ampere-year that ensures a long service life. In order to address our client's requirements and specifications, we offer the following four MMO grades with increased service life: low utilization (LS); moderate utilization (MS); high utilization (HS), and finally heavy duty service (HD).

REFURBISHING - We also offer the possibility to refurbish small spent anodes, to recycle the platinum group metals (PGMs) wastes and to re-coat the bare substrates with a suitable electro-catalyst. A credit for the metal substrate is then proposed to the client.

TESTING CAPABILITIES – In order to assist our clients to select the proper substrate and coating, we offer extensive in-house testing capabilities especially service life tests under actual operating conditions.  For these tests, the client agrees to pay for the time and expenses.

ORDERING INFORMATION - Upon ordering, the client responsibility is to provide confidentially several mandatory information required to tailor the suitable anode product, among the critical parameters, these are listed as follows: Shape & Dimensions: exact size and shape with drawings, Type of electrochemical process: electrosynthesis, electrowinning, electroplating, galvanizing, electrochemical oxidation, disinfection, cathodic protection, batteries, fuel cells, etc. Type of anodic process: oxygen gas evolution, chlorine gas evolution, mixed gases evolution, iodine and bromine discharge, electrochemical oxidation. Type of current regime: direct current (DC), alternative current (AC), pulsed current, and over imposed sinusoidal current to DC current. Operating conditions: electrolytes or anolyte chemical composition, maximum and minimum operating, temperature, average and peak anode current densities (ACD), overall cell voltage and overpotential, expected service life. Deleterious impurities: presence of deleterious impurities such as for instance: fluoride anions, nitro-aromatics, other organics, nitrites, chromium and manganese cations, etc. Mechanical, electrical, and thermal constrains: stiffness, rupture strength, fracture toughness, electrical resistivity, wear and abrasion, thermal expansion and thermal conductivity.