Empirical equations for electrical conductivity and density of Zn, Cd and Mn sulphate solutions in the range of electrowinning and electrorefining electrolytes

Electrical conductivities and densities of acidic zinc, cadmium and manganese sulphate solutions were measured. Empirical equations have been derived to represent the measured values with high accuracy. Electrical conductivity of solutions has been shown to be expressed as a logarithmic function of temperature, a second order polynomial function of sulphuric acid concentration and a linear function of metal ion concentration. It can be deduced that the density of solution can be described as a linear function of metal ion concentration, temperature and sulphuric acid concentration. These equations could be used to improve the electrowinning or electrorefining process conditions.