湿法冶金令人惊异地是已成为相当近代化的工艺技术,甚至是相当现代的科学。早期,人们从卤水中提取食盐,最近,用置换沉淀法从欧洲的各类矿业水液中提炼铜。显而易见,现代,大规模的湿法冶金过程仍不得不等待电解还原所需要的电力供给;运输、搅拌大吨位矿浆、溶液所需的动力、设计湿法冶金过程所需要的泵、搅拌器、高压釜及空气压缩器等都是近年才取得了进展。用铁置换铜这种从溶液中还原的方法已实现了几个世纪。但是,在金属还原和提纯方面有广泛用途的电解提纯、电精炼,从 Metallurgical hydropower surprisingly has become quite modern technology, and even very modern science. In the early days, people extracted salt from brines and more recently extracted copper from various types of mining water in Europe using displacement sedimentation. Obviously, modern, large-scale hydrometallurgical processes still have to wait for the electricity needed for electrolytic reduction; the power needed to transport and stir large tonnage slurries and solutions, the pumps required to design hydrometallurgical processes, mixers, high pressure Vessels and air compressors are only in recent years made progress. The method of reducing copper from iron by solution has been implemented for centuries. However, there is a wide range of uses for electrolytic reduction, purification and refining of metals