Electrochemical refining of indium: the role of organic acids in lead impurity removal


Kudaibergen O. Bekey A. Zlobina Y. Tokpayev R. Nauryzbayev M. Avchukir K.
December 2025Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Transition Metal Chemistry
2025#50Issue 61089 - 1099 pp.

This study examines the electrochemical purification of indium from lead impurities using various organic complexing agents. Through the application of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the separation efficiency of citric (CA), oxalic (OA), and tartaric acids (TA) was evaluated. In general, all the agents assessed exhibited high separation coefficients, resulting in improved thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for indium deposition. The addition of complexing agents effectively inhibited lead recovery, thereby increasing the purity of indium in the cathodic deposits. ICP-MS analysis confirmed a substantial increase in indium purity, decreasing the Pb content in following CA < OA < TA (2.62 × 10–5 > 2.54 × 10–5 > 1.45 × 10–5, respectively). These findings provide a foundation for optimizing electrolyte composition for the selective electrorefining of indium, presenting a scalable and environmentally sustainable alternative for the production of high-purity indium.



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Center of Physical Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 96a Tole Bi Str., Almaty, 050012, Kazakhstan

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