Application of three tailing-based composites in treating comprehensive electroplating wastewater

• Published in: Water science and technology Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 47 - 54
• Main Authors: Liu, Hongbo, Zhu, Mengling, Gao, Saisai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London International Water Association 01.01.2014; IWA Publishing
• Subjects: Adsorption; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; Calcium; Calcium compounds; Chemical oxygen demand; Composite materials; Copper; Copper - isolation & purification; Electroplating; Exact sciences and technology; General purification processes; Heavy metals; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial wastewater; Influents; Metals; Metals, Heavy - isolation & purification; Mine tailings; Natural water pollution; Nickel; Nickel - isolation & purification; Pollutants; Pollution; Ratios; Removal; Sewage; Sludge; Sodium; Sodium compounds; Tailings; Time Factors; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste Water; Wastes; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - isolation & purification; Water Purification - methods; Water treatment and pollution; heavy metals; Treatment residue; Metallurgical industry; Tailings; Composite material; Waste water; Heavy metal; Trace element; Carcinogen; Industrial waste; electroplating wastewater; Solid waste; Electrodeposition; Poison; Nickel; tailing-based composite; Copper; Mining waste
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2014.191
• ISSN: 0273-1223

Heavy metals and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are major challenging pollutants for most electroplating wastewater treatment plants. A novel composite material, prepared with a mixture of calcium and sodium compounds and tailings, was simply mixed by ratios and used to treat a comprehensive electroplating wastewater with influent COD, total copper (T-Cu), and total nickel (T-Ni) respectively as 690, 4.01, and 20.60 mg/L on average. Operational parameters, i.e. the contact time, pH, mass ratio of calcium and sodium compounds and tailings, were optimized as 30 min, 10.0, and 4:2:1. Removal rates for COD, T-Cu, and T-Ni could reach 71.8, 90.5, and 98.1%, respectively. No significant effect of initial concentrations on removal of T-Cu and T-Ni was observed for the composite material. The adsorption of Cu(II) and Ni(II) on the material fitted Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms respectively. Weight of waste sludge from the calcium/sodium–tailing system after reaction was 10% less than that from the calcium–tailing system. The tailing-based composite is cost-effective in combating comprehensive electroplating pollution, which shows a possibility of applying the tailings in treating electroplating wastewater.