Efficiency estimation of cation-exchange recovery of heavy metals from solutions containing their mixtures

The object of research is the washing waste water of galvanic plants containing heavy metal cations. The most common reagent methods for purification of galvanic drains do not provide the required degree of water purification, are accompanied by the loss of valuable components and the formation of significant amounts of toxic sludge. Ion exchange is promising in development of wastewater treatment of galvanic productions. One of the most important problems of ion-exchange technology is the processes of regeneration of ion exchangers, and, in particular, the recycling of spent regeneration solutions. The most promising in the recovery of regeneration solutions is the electrochemical method. However, electroextraction of zinc and nickel is practically impossible from acidic solutions without separation of the electrode space by the membrane. In addition, effluents from the galvanic industry contain mixtures of heavy metal ions. This complicates the process of wastewater treatment and the return of valuable components to production. In the course of the study, a strongly acidic cation exchanger KU-2-8 in the Na + -form is used to study the processes of combined sorption of heavy metal ions. Regeneration of the cation exchanger is carried out with solutions of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. Electroextraction of zinc and nickel from acid regeneration solutions is carried out in a two-cell electrolyzer with an anion-exchange membrane MA 41. The obtained results indicate that under conditions of the concentration of heavy metals on cation exchanger KU-2-8, efficient separation can’t be achieved. It is established that ions of heavy metals are sorbed individually and in mixtures with other ions of heavy metals are effectively desorbed by solutions of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. The use of a two-cell electrolyzer, in contrast to carrying out electrolysis processes without separation of the electrode space, almost completely eliminates zinc and nickel ions from acidic regenerative rods. And to obtain a solution of sulfuric acid in the anode chamber at a concentration of 239–651 meq/dm 3 .