SIMULATION OF COPPER CEMENTATION (METAL DISPLACEMENT-REACTIONS)

The cementation of copper in alkaline zinc solution (300 g/liter NaOH, 60 g/liter Zn, and 0.2 g/liter Cu) was studied and a method based on mathematical simulation was used to identify the mechanisms governing the process. Results suggest that activation was the initial mechanism , since copper ions do not deposit easily on zinc. However, the mechan ism changed to diffusion after a few minutes of cementation, when copp er ion deposition was facilitated by the presence of metallic copper p artly covering the zine surface. The mathematical procedure as well as the results of simulation are presented. Experimental cementations we re performed and the data coincided with the predictions obtained by s imulation. The present simulation method can be applied also to cement ation in acid media.