Use of digital thruster to separate the cadmium and lead metals from mixture sample

The present work deals with the use of a digital thruster (DT) for the separation of cadmium and lead metals from mixture samples. Mixtures of lead and cadmium salts with varying concentrations were injected into a free electrolytic diffusion apparatus (FEDA). The microcathodes surrounding the central anode were programmed with a DT. The DT distributed the charge over the microcathodes at time intervals of 100-900 μs or at the frequency of 625-70 Hz. The microcathodes become electrodeposited with lead and cadmium metals, showing both separation and co-deposition. The purity of deposited metals was analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) using PerkinElmer and Aldrich AAS standards.