New Recovery Techniques for the Chromium Plating Department

Public environmental concern has resulted in federal, state, and local legislation aimed at reducing industrial wastes discharged into our nation’s waterways. Conventional techniques of controlling chromium discharges relied on the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr⁺⁶) to a trivalent state (Cr⁺²) which would form an insoluble hydroxide that could then be precipitated from the waste stream. The net result is a conversion of liquid waste to solid waste. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act with its cradle to grave responsibilities, has encouraged the development and implementation of methods aimed at reducing losses of valuable raw materials. One such system now allows the plating department to take full advantage of the natural inherent recovery capabilities of rinse tanks for little or no cost at all.