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AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC COMPARISON OF ION EXCHANGE AND RECENTLY COMMERCIALIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RECOVERY OF RINSE WATER IN BRIGHT NICKEL PLATING FACILITY
Citation:
Szlag*, D C. AND C Dillhoff*. AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC COMPARISON OF ION EXCHANGE AND RECENTLY COMMERCIALIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RECOVERY OF RINSE WATER IN BRIGHT NICKEL PLATING FACILITY. AESF/EPA Conference for Environmental Excellence, Orlando, FL, 01/17-19/2000.
Description:
Researchers at USEPA are testing and evaluating two commercial electrochemical technologies for the purification of rinse water and the recovery of copper and nickel from a variety of electroplating processes. One of the investigated technologies is based on the application of high surface area carbon based electrodes in a radical flow cell that maximizes mass transfer and current efficiency. The other investigated technology uses a novel electrochemical ion exchange cell that is regenerated electrochemically. This paper discusses the engineering fundamentals for rinse water recovery at a small bright nickel plating facility. For this study, the primary objectives were: 1) to recover rinse water; 2) assure compliance with existing environmental regulations; and 3) determine the feasibility of reducing or eliminating the need for an off-site ion exchange service. At this facility, it was not desired to return the recovered nickel directly to the process. Impact assessment analysis and a conventional payback analysis are used to compare these new electrochemical processes with each other and the existing ion exchange recovery unit.