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http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10098-016-1226-8&domain=pdf
Web End = Clean Techn Environ Policy (2017) 19:403415
DOI 10.1007/s10098-016-1226-8
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10098-016-1226-8&domain=pdf
Web End = ORIGINAL PAPER
Heavy metal removal from simulated wastewater using electrochemical technology: optimization of copper electrodeposition in a membraneless uidized bed electrode
George Andr Tonini1 Lus Augusto Martins Ruotolo1
Received: 22 January 2016 / Accepted: 25 May 2016 / Published online: 22 June 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
Abstract Heavy metal removal from industrial wastewaters has been intensively studied, since it is well known that they can cause severe problems to human health and aquatic life, even at very low concentrations. In this work, it was demonstrated that electrodeposition in uidized bed electrode (FBE) can be efciently employed to remove metal ions from solution, avoid contamination, and recover the metal. Copper electrodeposition from diluted solutions was efciently performed using a membraneless FBE. The average current efciency (ACE), average energy consumption (AEC), and spacetime yield (AY) was optimized taking into account the operational and process variables. It was noted that for all response variables studied, the raise of supporting electrolyte concentration (Cs) contributed to improvements in the process. The operational conditions current (I) and bed expansion (E) determined the values of CE, Y, and EC under activated control, but the initial copper concentration (C0) determined how long the electrodeposition process will work under activated or mass transfer control, thus affecting the average values of CE, Y, and EC. Considering C0 of
500 mg L-1, copper can be optimally recovered with ACE [60 %, AY[38 kg h-1 m-3, and AEC\4.0 kWh kg-1 by applying the lowest I and the highest levels of E and Cs. It was concluded that the electrochemical technology using a
membraneless FBE reactor is economically competitive and be applied for the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with copper or other metals.
Keywords Copper electrodeposition Fluidized bed
electrochemical reactor Factorial design Response
surface analysis Optimization
Introduction
The treatment of industrial efuents containing metals generated by metal nishing industries is necessary in order to minimize the environmental impacts and to preserve the human health, since these efuents are very toxic, even at very low metal concentrations. Among the several metal ions used in industrial processes, copper is intensively used due to its electric and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and ductility (Boulay...