Determination of the electrochemical dissolution feasibility of a superalloy used in turbine components in alkaline solutions with additives

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.337836

Keywords:

heat-resistant superalloy, electrochemical dissolution, alkaline electrolyte, passivation, selective leaching, rhenium

Abstract

The object of this study was an electrochemical anodic dissolution of a heat-resistant nickel-based superalloy (≈62 wt.%), recovered from destroyed components of special-purpose equipment, which contains valuable metals such as Re (≈4 wt.%), Co, W, Mo, Ta, Nb, and others. The research addressed the problem of the lack of an effective electrochemical method for selectively extracting these components, particularly rhenium and other valuable elements, from such an alloy in alkaline media. The anodic behavior of the alloy was experimentally studied in 0.5 M NaOH in the presence of various complexing and activating additives (NaCl, citric acid, EDTA salt, and Na2H2P2O7). It was shown that none of the additives provided a significant acceleration of anodic dissolution. This was demonstrated by the fact that the increase in the average specific charge calculated for five cyclic voltammetry scans that contributed to alloy dissolution did not exceed 8%. In other cases, the values were significantly lower than in the base solution containing only alkali. It was established that the anodic dissolution process has a surface-selective nature: Ni, Co, Cr, Re, and Al are leached into the electrolyte, while a residual surface layer enriched in W, Ta, Nb, and Mo forms, hindering further dissolution. X-ray fluorescence analysis data confirmed changes in the chemical composition (Ni content decreased to ≈48 wt.%, W increased from ≈9 to ≈20 wt.% on the surface). Theoretical justification of the results is provided, based on the physicochemical properties of compounds that may form during anodic dissolution in the presence of additives. The absence of an activating effect from the additives suggests the need for further studies on pure NaOH. The obtained data are of practical importance for the selective separation of superalloy elements before further processing

Author Biographies

Valerii Kotok, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Processes, Apparatus and General Chemical Technology

Yuri Sknar, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Head of Department

Department of Processes, Apparatus and General Chemical Technology

Tetyana Butyrina, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Inorganic Substances and Ecology

Irina Sknar, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Processes, Apparatus and General Chemical Technology

Oksana Demchyshyna, Kryvyi Rih National University

PhD, Assistant

Department of Mineral Processing and Chemistry

Ella Chasova, Kryvyi Rih National University

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Mineral Processing and Chemistry

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Determination of the electrochemical dissolution feasibility of a superalloy used in turbine components in alkaline solutions with additives

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Published

2025-08-27

How to Cite

Kotok, V., Sknar, Y., Butyrina, T., Sknar, I., Demchyshyna, O., & Chasova, E. (2025). Determination of the electrochemical dissolution feasibility of a superalloy used in turbine components in alkaline solutions with additives. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 4(12 (136), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.337836

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 12 (136) (2025): Materials Science

Section

Materials Science

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Copyright (c) 2025 Valerii Kotok, Yuri Sknar, Tatyana Butyrina, Irina Sknar, Oksana Demchyshyna, Ella Chasova

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