The effect of glue, thiourea, and chloride on the kinetics of copper reduction in CuSO₄–H₂SO₄ solutions of copper composition, and temperatures like those used in the copper electrorefining plants, were studied. The kinetic study was conducted by determining the kinetic parameters ${\mathrm{i}}_0$ and $\mathsf{\beta }$ under the activation control of the Tafel approximation, which is applied to polarization curves obtained via linear voltammetry. The results show that the incorporation of glue and thiourea decreases the exchange current density, while chloride does not significantly affect the kinetic parameters. The data on the fraction of the surface covered by glue and thiourea fitted to the Temkin adsorption isotherm indicate that the mechanism of action during the reduction of copper to low overpotentials is the adsorption of these additives on the electrode surface. The adsorption of additives reduces the cathodic area available for Cu²⁺ adsorption and lateral diffusion of Cu atoms to continue the reduction process and the growth of the crystalline deposit. The kinetic study was complemented with a comprehensive analysis of the effect of the additives on the morphological and textural characteristics of the deposits. The results of this work contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of the main additives used during the copper electrorefining process.

The distribution of copper, iron, and sulfur during the oxidation of La Caridad copper concentrate particles under simulated flash smelting conditions was studied in a laboratory reactor. Six wet-sieved size fractions and the unsieved copper concentrate were oxidized at 1123 K and 40% and 70% O₂ by volume in the process gas during the experiments. Samples of partially oxidized particles were collected at 0.2, 0.8, and 0.9 m from the point of entry and analyzed in a QEMSCAN^® unit to determine the elemental composition within the population of particles. The distribution of the major elements during oxidation was strongly dependent upon the size and chemical composition of the initial particles. Overall, the copper content tended to increase and sulfur content decreased along the reactor length within all sizes. In contrast, the distribution of iron did not follow a general trend, as it was found to increase, decrease, or remain unchanged depending on the particle size. This finding may represent a key feature to further investigate the reaction path followed by particles during flash smelting, especially those associated with particle fragmentation. In general, the larger the particle size was, the larger the change in the content of the major elements within the particle population. Based on the experimental results, particles within a size fraction of <45 µm tended to follow a reaction path consisting of rapid melting followed by the collision and coalescence of reacting droplets during flight. In contrast, particles within the fraction of 45–53 µm tended to react individually. The oxidation behavior of the unsieved concentrate particles showed a combination of both reaction paths.