RESUMO
Os métodos de precipitação química, cristalização e extração líquido-líquido foram aplicados visando propor alternativas para o tratamento de efluentes líquidos gerados pela indústria de galvanoplastia. Efluentes de diversas empresas do setor, localizadas no estado de Minas Gerais (Brasil), foram coletados e caracterizados. O efluente estudado, proveniente de empresa de galvanização de zinco a quente, continha cerca de 90 g/L de ferro total, 35 g/L de zinco e menores quantidades de Al, Ni e Cu, em meio ácido clorídrico (pH = 0,6). A separação seletiva entre ferro e zinco não se mostrou eficiente por precipitação, sendo a técnica adequada somente no tratamento do efluente, ao contrário da cristalização e extração líquido-líquido utilizando-se TBP como agente extratante. A integração destas técnicas ainda requer estudos mais detalhados visando à otimização de custos e das condições operacionais.
Separation methods such as chemical precipitation, crystallization and liquid-liquid extraction have been investigated aiming to treat effluents generated by the galvanic industry. Effluent samples generated by several companies located in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) were collected and chemically characterized. For this work, a typical zinc hot-dip galvanizing effluent containing about 90 g/L of total iron, 35 g/L of zinc and minor amounts of Al, Ni, Cu, in HCl medium (pH = 0.6) was treated. A selective separation between metals zinc and iron was not achieved by chemical precipitation, which was found adequate to threat water only. On contrary, zinc and iron was separated very efficiently by crystallization and liquid-liquid extraction using TBP as extractant agent. The integration of these methods to recover zinc and iron from effluent still requires more detailed studies.
RESUMO
The selective removal of zinc(II) over iron(II) by liquid-liquid extraction from spent hydrochloric acid pickling effluents produced by the zinc hot-dip galvanizing industry was studied at room temperature. Two distinct effluents were investigated: effluent 1 containing 70.2g/L of Zn, 92.2g/L of Fe and pH 0.6, and effluent 2 containing 33.9 g/L of Zn, 203.9g/L of Fe and 2M HCl. The following extractants were compared: TBP (tri-n-butyl phosphate), Cyanex 272 [bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid], Cyanex 301 [bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) dithiophosphinic acid] and Cyanex 302 [bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) monothiophosphinic acid]. The best separation results were obtained for extractants TBP and Cyanex 301. Around 92.5% of zinc and 11.2% of iron were extracted from effluent 1 in one single contact using 100% (v/v) of TBP. With Cyanex 301, around 80-95% of zinc and less than 10% of iron were extracted from effluent 2 at pH 0.3-1.0. For Cyanex 272, the highest extraction yield for zinc (70% of zinc with 20% of iron extraction) was found at pH 2.4. Cyanex 302 presented low metal extraction levels (below 10%) and slow phase disengagement characteristics. Reactions for the extraction of zinc with TBP and Cyanex 301 from hydrochloric acid solution were proposed.
