Removal of Heavy Metals and Suspended Solids from Battery Wastewaters: Application of Hydroperm Cross-Flow Microfiltration

摘要

This project was undertaken to evaluate the capability of crossflow microfiltration to remove suspended toxic metal and metal hydroxides from battery manufacturing wastewaters. The demonstration was conducted at the General Battery Corporation plant at Hamburg, Pennsylvania. A full scale system capable of processing 150,000 liters per day (40,000 gal/day) was constructed and installed at the General Battery facility. The following conclusions were determined from the demonstration at General Battery: (1) Cross-flow filtration will effectively remove suspended solids and suspended metal hydroxides including arsenic hydroxide and antimony hydroxide from battery manufacturing wastewaters, (2) reasonable flux rates can be achieved with the use of the microfiltration membrane filters, (3) sludges of up to 35 percent solids can be easily generated significantly reducing the sludge generation rate. Suspended solid in feed ranging as high as 180,000 ppm were typically reduced to less than 5 ppm in the permeate. Lead was reduced from several hundred ppm in the feed to less than .10 ppm in the permeate. The pH of the wastewater was maintained between 8 and 9.