formed in a tankhouse during the electrorefining process. It contains the elements which are more noble than copper like silver and gold and the elements which form insoluble salts in the electrolyte like lead sulfate or selenides and tellurides.
synonyms: anode slimes; slimes and sludges, copper electrolytic;
see also: electrorefining
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note: To recover gold, silver and selenium there are different processes. First the slime is decopperized by sulfuric acid and air. Then often pyrometallurgical steps like smelting with sodium carbonate or roastin follow to break the selenides. At the end in the cupellation process lead, antimon and arsenic are removed. Often then the metal is cast to anodes from where silver is electrorefined. From the anode slime of the silver tank house gold is recovered either chemically or electrochemically.
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