Potential application of an electrodialysis pilot plant containing ion-exchange membranes in chromium removal ⁎

Exploration of a new working system to investigate the removal of chromium ions in its hexavalent oxidation state singly in connection with different parameters and associated moieties in feed mixtures was performed using an indigenously built electrodialysis (ED) pilot plant comprising a set of ion-exchange membranes. In order to check the efficacy of ED unit, parameters like applied potential, pH, initial chromium concentration of diluate and flow rates were varied. Significant results were obtained with lower initial concentrations of less than 10 ppm. Results were satisfactory in meeting the maximum contaminate level (MCL) of 0.1 ppm for chromium. Cowan and Brown’s method was adopted to determine the limiting current density in the ED experiment. Effect of working parameters on energy consumption was investigated using ion-exchange membranes. Results of this study are useful for designing and operating different capacities of ED plants for recovering different ions. The ED plant used in this research was found to be satisfactory to produce good quality drinking water from the simulated mixture by removing the unwanted ions.