Recovery of Metals from Wastewater—State-of-the-Art Solutions with the Support of Membrane Technology

Abstract

This paper discusses the most important research trends in the recovery of metals from industrial wastewater using membrane techniques in recent years. Particular attention is paid to the preparation of new membranes with the required filtration and separation properties. At the same time, possible future applications are highlighted. The aspects discussed are divided into metals in order to clearly and comprehensibly list the most optimal solutions depending on the composition of the wastewater and the possibility of recovering valuable components (metalloids, heavy metals, and platinum group metals). It is shown that it is possible to effectively remove metals from industrial wastewater by appropriate membrane preparation (up to ~100%), including the incorporation of functional groups, nanoparticles on the membrane surface. However, it is also worth noting the development of hybrid techniques, in which membrane techniques are one of the elements of an effective purification procedure.

Adsorption of Heavy Metals: Mechanisms, Kinetics, and Applications of Various Adsorbents in Wastewater Remediation—A Review

“…The discharge of toxic heavy metals into the environment poses a significant threat to the quality of water and aquatic ecosystems, endangering human health [1,2]. Trace elements such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) are recognized as metallic pollutants in wastewater, industrial effluent, and sewage sludge [3][4][5][6]. In surficial environments, the most inorganic stable forms of As and Cr occur as inorganic oxyanions but are frequently referred to as cationic species, e.g., As 3+ , As 5+ , Cr 3+ , and Cr 6+ [7][8][9][10].…”

Enhancing Palladium Recovery Rates in Industrial Residual Solutions through Electrodialysis

“…In the context of hydrometallurgy, membrane separation techniques exhibit superior performance compared to treatment methods like precipitation, adsorption, coagulation-flocculation, and solvent extraction in several crucial aspects. Some benefits of membrane separation techniques include separation and concentration factors, mass transfer rate, single-step operation with reduced chemical consumption, and the absence of solid waste or sludge containing hazardous or unstable components that necessitate disposal [5,16,17]. For the selective recovery of valuable components, the remarkable selectivity provided by functionalized membranes is a key factor [18].…”

Selective Recovery of Silver Ions from Copper-Contaminated Effluents Using Electrodialysis

“…For the recovery of valuable components, the high selectivity offered by functionalized membranes is of major importance. For the removal of impurities from process streams, electrodialysis excels with its chemical-free operation and the absence of solid waste or sludge generation containing hazardous or unstable components that require disposal [15,42,43]. In general, electrodialysis can be employed for treating large volumes of effluents containing low concentrations of specific ions within a short period of time [44].…”