Chelation and Foam Separation of Metal Ions from Solutions

Abstract An experimental study was conducted on the chelation and foam separation of trace amounts of cadmium, zinc, and lead from their water solutions. The chelation agents ethylenediaminetetraacetate (sodium salt), sodium diethyl-dithiocarbamate, and citric acid were used with sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as a foam-producing agent. The chelation agents did not produce metal complexes that were very surface active. The foam-producing agent produced metal ion complexes that were surface active and resulted in appreciable separation of the metal ions. The use of 100 ppm SDS resulted in separation of 90% of the zinc ions from solution containing 2 to 20 ppm zinc. At concentrations below and above this, the removal efficiency dropped significantly