Metal Plating Industry and Environmental Pollution
Pouya Abbaspour *
Khajeh Nasir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Electroplating involves the deposition of a thin metallic protective layer on the prepared surface of the metal using electrochemical processes. In the plating process, the metal to be plated is generally considered to be the cathode in the electrolyte bath. Plating solutions are acid or alcohol and can also sometimes be complex agents such as cyanide. The metal plating industry is one of the largest consumers of toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals include solvents, acids, bases, detergents, complex organic matter, and metal salts such as cadmium, nickel-chromium, copper, zinc, gold, and others. Due to the different amounts of chemicals and consumables, the produced wastewater contains a wide range of pollutants including metals, organic wastes, suspended solids, phosphate, and fluoride. Phosphate and fluoride are important parameters that have been identified for their effects on the environment, and laws have been enacted to control them. Suspended solids are an old control parameter in the treatment and disposal of toxic organic and inorganic parameters.
Keywords: Metal plating, effluent pollution, environment, cyanide pollution, air pollution