Simultaneous removal of cadmium and copper from a binary solution by cathodic deposition using a spiral-wound woven wire meshes packed bed rotating cylinder electrode

Abstract

Spiral-wound woven wire meshes packed bed rotating cylinder electrode was used for the simultaneous removal of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) from a binary solution. The effects of weight percent of each metal on the removal and current efficiencies were studied at an operating current of 345A, while the effect of current on the removal efficiency of both metals was investigated at three levels of current (240, 345.and 400 mA). The experiments were carried out at constant rotation speed 800 rpm, pH = 3, and a total concentration of metals (500 ppm). The results showed that the removal efficiency of copper increased from 89% to 99.4% as its weight percent increased from 20% to100%. In a similar fashion, the removal efficiency of cadmium increased from 81% to 97% as its weight percent increased from 20% to100%. The results confirmed that the removal efficiency of any metals declined in the presence of the other. Increasing of current resulted in increasing the removal efficiency of both metals at different weight percents. The results confirmed that current efficiencies for removing of copper and cadmium simultaneously decline with increasing of electrolysis time and weight percent of cadmium or with decreasing the weight percent of copper. Current efficiency was higher at the initial stage of electrolysis for all weight percents of metals. The results showed that the decay of copper concentration was exponential at all weight percents of copper, confirming that the electrodeposition of copper is under mass transfer control in the presence of cadmium. While the decay of cadmium concentration was linear at lower weight percent of cadmium then changed to an exponential behavior at high weight percent of cadmium in the presence of copper.