Use Of Reverse Osmosis For Removal Of Nickel From Electroplating Industrial Sewages

Mohassel Akhlaghi, Nasrin; Nasrolahtabar Ahangar, Vahid; Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi, Reza; Borghei, Seyed Mehdi; Saadi, Sommayeh

Use Of Reverse Osmosis For Removal Of Nickel From Electroplating Industrial Sewages

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Nasrin Mohassel Akhlaghi ¹

Vahid Nasrolahtabar Ahangar ²

Reza Haji Seyed Mohammad Shirazi ³

Seyed Mehdi Borghei ⁴

Sommayeh Saadi ⁵

¹ Environmental Engineering, Department of Environment, University of Tehran, Iran.

² Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

³ Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

⁴ Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

⁵ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Electroplating industrial waste is one of the most critical industrial waste problems. There is a growing interest in developing methods for recovering metals and water from plating waste stream using membrane technology. In this project, reverse osmosis (RO) technology has been studied for electroplating industries wastewater treatment. in this study, nickel sulfate (20 percent) and nickel chloride (20 percent) were used with urban water. Pilot tests on nickel plating wastewater with 50,100,150 and 200 ppm Ni (II) concentration were delivered using polyamide thin film composite RO membrane. The results showed the average removal of nickel increase to 90.5 and 96.5 percent and the average removal of Total Dissolved Solids reached high to 97.4 and 98.4 percent when the working pressure increase from 3 to 4 and 5 bar, respectively. Based on the results, the reverse osmosis process with a yield of 60 percent at a pressure of 4 bar with a effluent at a concentration of 200 ppm gave a good result in the recovery of nickel and there-circulation and reuse of water.
Therefore this method of nickel removal, when compared to other methods, is more suitable and effective.

Keywords

Electroplating

Reverse osmosis

Nickel

Water recovery

Heavy metals