In wastewater treatment, adsorption is primarily used to remove trace pollutants from wastewater to achieve the purpose of purification. Activated carbon adsorption is an economical and effective method for treating electroplating wastewater, mainly used for chromium-containing wastewater. Powdered activated carbon treatment of chromium-containing electroplating wastewater offers advantages such as easy extraction of raw materials, low investment, and water reuse.

Powdered activated carbon exhibits excellent applications in the treatment of electroplating wastewater pollutants. When using powdered activated carbon, it is essential to conduct adsorption tests based on the type and concentration of the wastewater to determine the type of activated carbon and the required quantity.

Activated carbon treatment of electroplating wastewater should pay attention to the following points:

Due to the fine particles of powdered activated carbon, dust pollution should be taken into account during use. Operators must wear dust masks to prevent inhalation into the lungs.

Activated carbon should not contain impurities that are harmful to electroplating tanks. Poor-quality activated carbon usually contains more impurities, such as zinc, and should not be used.

For electroplating solutions with varying degrees of organic impurity contamination, an appropriate dosage should be used, generally ranging from 2 to 5 g/L. Insufficient dosage results in poor treatment effectiveness. The amount of activated carbon can also be determined through small-scale pilot tests or shell tanks.

4. It is advisable to use intermittent strong mixing with a recycling filter and compressed air. If manual mixing is used, it should be conducted continuously throughout all parts of the flume without leaving any dead corners.

5. After the adsorption process is complete, the tank should be held for a period of time, then filtered 2-3 times after complete sedimentation, until no carbon powder residue remains in the bath and the bath achieves the desired color.

6. Utilize a continuous recirculating filtration electroplating process with activated carbon. When the activated carbon becomes saturated, it is essential to promptly clean and replace the activated carbon in the filter cores to prevent desorption and impurities from re-contaminating the plating solution.