Electrowinning (sometimes abbreviated to EW, also known as Electrorefining) is the preferred method for the recovery of refined metals as high purity ingots. Electrowinning is merely electroplating writ large. Because it is designed to extract a particular metal from the solution, maintenance of the potential difference between the cathode and annode is important; the potential difference to extract copper is x volts. This can be calculated. In the process gas is liberated and must be dealt with.

In electrorefining, a large (approximately 375kg) slab of copper is used as the anode; they are produced by the smelter casting molten copper into a mold. The shape of the anode is dictated by the electrolytic cells at the refinery. If used in solvent extraction then the anodes are a lead, calcium, tin alloy. Otherwise the anode is the smelted copper.

In electrowinning, the cathode is the electrical pole to which copper ions are attracted and then adhere. Cathodes may be made of stainless steel blanks or copper starter sheets. There's no particular reason for having a non-copper cathode, except the cathode can be reused melting off the copper, rather than fabricating a new copper cathode for each extraction. If a copper cathode was used, the electrolysis would need to commence soon after immersion in the fluid to prevent errosion. You'd want the copper cathode to be as pure as what you're extracting.

A copper electrowinning cell may accommodate multiple cathodes and anodes.

The pregnant leach solution is circulated through the electrowinning cell, an electrical current is applied and the copper plates out as electro-won cathode.

Electrolysis is employed in the purification of copper. Impure copper is used as the anode of a cell in which the electrolyte is copper sulphate solution. Copper on the impure anode dissolves as aqueous copper ions (Cu₂+_(aq)). To prevent the solution becoming saturated, copper ions from the solution plate out on the cathode as pure copper (Cu₂+(aq) → Cu_(s)). The concentration of Cu₂+_(aq) ions in solution is steady.

As copper dissolves from the anode, a sludge of insoluble material collects at the bottom of the cell. This sludge often contains valuable non-reactive metals such as silver and gold, or at Olympic Dam , uranium. The recovery of these trace metals from the sludge makes the purification of copper more lucrative. A further advantage of electrolytic purification of copper is that the deposited metal is of high purity.