Abatement of Heavy Metals in Industrial Effluents by a Catalyzed, Electrochemical Removal Scheme

摘要

The electroplating industry generates a significant amount of heavy metal-containing discharge water in its daily operation. Heavy metals are toxic to living organisms and tend to accumulate in the environment over a period of time. The electrochemical removal technology described here is not limited to plating operations but can be applied to any stream containing heavy metals. In the following presentation, a review of the pertinent water resources and electrochemical literature is presented, wherein the scientific basis for this scheme is given. Following the literature review, the experimental procedure is given along with illustrations of the apparatus used. Next, the results and a discussion of the results are presented. The evaluation of lead and copper as catalysts for Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) deposition is given and the performance of the flow-by reactor in treating a 94 ppm Cu(II) waste is presented.