The Pembrey copper cathode

摘要: AbstractThe world’s first copper electrorefinery started production in 1869 at Pembrey South Wales and was closed March 1912. Refining principles pioneered there form the foundation of modern electrorefining practice. A cathode recovered closure now collection Swansea Museum, Wales, is earliest authenticated British example electrorefined as cathode. This unique artefact sampled assayed to establish its composition market quality help elucidate refining capability that time. The sampling method based upon drilling into edge plate order protect display integrity; assaying by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, present received for refined copper. Comparison with contemporaneous wire bar assays indicates would have been competitive day, but questions about relatively high levels silver and, a lesser extent, ar...