Copper recovery from wastewater by cementation utilizing packed bed of iron spheres.

Abstract

Cementation has been noted as a means for removal of toxic metals4} in the wastewater issuing from metal finishing and hydrometallurgy, and studies have been made of reaction kinetics in a batch system2'4~6'9~13>16). Few investigations1>15) have appeared on the cementation of noble metal ion in a flow system of less noble metal-packed bed.In this paper, a flow cementation system was investigated by using an iron spherepacked bed.Photographic observation by microscope wasmadeof the cementedcopper on the iron spheres.The extent of copper removal at ppmorder by cementation was investigated experimentally.The measurement was executed for the packed spheres of several diameters and for the bed of several lengths.The result is discussed based on the apparent masstransfer coefficient in liquid phase.