Ion exchange recovery of Ni(II) from simulated electroplating waste solutions containing anionic ligands

Ion exchange is widely used for the recovery and removal of metals from process and waste streams in chemical process industries. The Na-form of strong-acid Purolite NRW-100 resin was used to recover Ni(II) from a simulated electroplating waste solution containing NiSO4, NH4Cl, NaH2PO4, and citrate. A set of mass balance equations that take into account possible aqueous complexation reactions was used to establish the pH diagram of Ni(II) species in the presence of anionic ligand citrate or phosphate. Experiments were performed as a function of initial solution pH (0.5–6.0), initial concentration of Ni(II) (0.85–11.9 mol/m3), and temperature (15–45 °C). It was shown that the amount of Ni(II) exchanged leveled off when the equilibrium pH was higher than around 2.5. The exchange isotherms obtained at various equilibrium pH values were well fitted by the Langmuir equation. The enthalpy of Ni(II) exchange was also evaluated based on the Langmuir constant. Finally, the kinetics of the present ion exchange process was analyzed.