Abstract:To address strong corrosiveness, high toxicity, and greater environmental hazards in traditional lead electrolytic refining process, a lead electrolytic refining system using methanesulfonic acid (MSA) was proposed. Effects of lead ion concentration, free acid concentration, current density, temperature, and additives on lead refining were investigated. The results show that an appropriate increase of lead ion concentration, current density and electrolysis temperature, as well as addition of calcium lignosulfonate, is beneficial to raise current efficiency. Appropriately increasing free acid concentration of electrolyte and temperature of electrolyte are beneficial to reduce cell voltage and energy consumption. Addition of calcium lignosulfonate can greatly improve surface morphology of cathode lead and make deposited lead smooth and compact, but cathode lead is easy to peel off without adding calcium lignosulfonate. When lead ion concentration is 0.5 mol/L, MSA concentration is 1.0 mol/L, current density is 220 A/m2, and temperature is 40 ℃, refined lead with mass fraction of 99% above is obtained, and energy consumption is as low as 42.36 kWh/t. What’s more, with addition of 2.0 g/L calcium lignosulfonate, lead would be smooth and dense. Influence mechanism of each process parameter on voltage of electrolytic refining cell is explored by testing anode and cathode polarization curve.