Ag, Hg and Cr Precipitation for Recycling Derived of Hazardous Liquid Waste

Silvia C. Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, Genoveva Rosano-Ortega, Carlos Vega-Lebrún, Juan Manuel López, Pedro Ávila-Pérez, Sonia M. Martínez Gallegos, Daniel Cruz González

Chemical Engineering Faculty, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.
Division of Graduate Studies and Research, Instituto Tecnológico de Toluca, Toluca, México.
Research Department, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla, México.
Technological Research División, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Ocoyoacac, México.

DOI: 10.4236/gsc.2013.32007                

Abstract

Production of different compounds can generate large amounts of hazardous wastes which are dangerous to the environment and human health. The disposal or treatment of hazardous liquid waste rich in heavy metals like silver (Ag), mercury (Hg) and chromium (Cr) is difficult due to the strong acidity and toxicity which usually present in these contaminants. For this study, several research works were reviewed in order to obtain an efficient and viable treatment in time and removal efficiency. A series of chemical precipitations were evaluated for efficiency in the reduction of heavy metals in liquid waste. The precipitation of all three metals lasted 30 minutes and after treatment the wastewater presented concentrations of 0.064 mg·L^-1 Ag, 0.010 mg·L^-1 Hg and 0.048 mg·L^-1 Cr, with a standard pH (7.5-8.5); with removal efficiencies of 94.31% for Ag, 99.99% for Hg and 98.17% for Cr.

Keywords

Hazardous Liquid Waste; Treatment for Recycling; Silver; Mercury; Chromium

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “Chapter 7. Residues,” Report of the State of the Environment in Mexico, Mexico, 2009, pp. 326-357. http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/informacionambiental/Documents/pdf/cap_7_residuos.pdf
[2]	US Environmental Protection Agency, “Hazardous Waste,” 2012. http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/
[3]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “General Law for the Prevention and Management of Waste,” Federal Ecological Agenda, ISEF Editorial, Mexico, 2010.
[4]	US: Environmental Protection Agency, “Priority Pollutants,” 2012. http://water.epa.gov/scitech/methods/cwa/pollutants.cfm
[5]	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), “Public Health Statement Silver,” Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, 1990.
[6]	P. L. Drake and K. J. Hazelwood, “Exposure-Related Health Effects of Silver and Silver Compounds: A Review,” Oxford University Press, Vol. 9, No. 7, 2005, pp. 575-585.
[7]	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), “Public Health Statement Mercury,” Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, 1999. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp46-c1-b.pdf
[8]	T. W. Clarkson, “Mercury: Major Issues in Environmental Health,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 100, 1993, pp. 31-38. doi:10.1289/ehp.9310031
[9]	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease (ATSDR), “Public Health Statement Chromium,” Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, 2012. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp7-c1-b.pdf
[10]	R. L. Rangel, “Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry,” 2nd Edition, Limusa, Mexico City, 1991, pp. 69-92.
[11]	Ministry of Health (SSA in Spanish), “Test Method for the Determination of Cadmium, Arsenic, Lead, Tin, Copper, Iron, Zinc and Mercury in Food, Drinking Water and Purified Water by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry,” Official Journal of the Federation, Mexico, 1994. http://200.77.231.100/work/normas/noms/1995/117-ssa1.pdf
[12]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “Establishes the Characteristics of Hazardous Waste and the Listing of Them and the Threshold above Which Make a Waste Hazardous Because Its Toxicity to the Environment,” Official Journal of the Federation, Mexico, 2005. http://www.aguascalientes.gob.mx/proespa/pdf/NOM-SEMARNAT-052%20RESIDUOS%20PELIGROSOS.pdf
[13]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “Establishes the Procedure for Conducting the Extraction Test to Determine Constituents That Make a Waste Hazardous Because Its Toxicity to the Environment,” Official Journal of the Federation, Mexico, 1993. http://www.spabc.gob.mx/views/files/tmp/NOM-052.pdf
[14]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “Establishes the Maximum Permissible Limits of Pollutants in Wastewater Discharges into National Waters,” Official Journal of the Federation, Mexico, 1996. http://www.hgm.salud.gob.mx/descargas/pdf/noticias/programa_mercurio/marco/norma_001.pdf%20
[15]	Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT in Spanish), “Establishes the Maximum Permissible Limits of Pollutants in Wastewater Discharges to Sewers,” Official Journal of the Federation, Mexico, 1996. http://www.aguascalientes.gob.mx/proespa/pdf/NOM-SEMA-NAT-002%20DESCARGA%20DE%20AGUAS%20RESIDUALES%20AL%20ALCANTARILLADO.pdf
[16]	M. M. I. López, “Stabilization and Disposal of Liquid Waste from the Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand (in Spanish),” Bachelor Thesis, UPAEP University, Mexico, 2012.
[17]	M. Bittar, S. Llamas M. C. Quiroga and L. E. Ferrer, “Treatment and Disposal of Liquid Waste Generated in the Chemical Oxygen Demand (in Spanish),” 3rd Iberoamerican Waste Engineering Seminar, Castellón de la Plana, 2010.
[18]	T. Manunga, H. M. Gutiérrez, J. A. Rodríguez and A. VillarealDíaz, “COD Waste Treatment Generated in Environmental Laboratories Engineering and Research (in Spanish),” Redalyc, Vol. 30, No. 2, 2010, pp. 87-95.
[19]	A. M. Agudelo, “Proposal for Treating Mercury, Chromium and Silver Metals Present in the Waste Generated by the Chemical Oxygen Demand,” Bachelor Thesis, Pereira University, Colombia, 2010.
[20]	Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease (ATSDR), “Hydrogen Sulfide,” Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, 2006.
[21]	T. J. Bandosz, “On the Adsorption/Oxidation of Hydrogen Sulfide on Activated Carbons at Ambient Temperatures,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol. 246, No. 1, 2002, pp.1-20.
[22]	S. M. Zicari, “Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide from Biogas Using Cow-Manure Compost,” Master Thesis, Cornell University, New York, 2003.
[23]	C. Kim, Q. Zhou, B. Deng, E. C. Thornton and H. Xu, “Chromium(IV) Reduction by Hydrogen Sulfide in Aqueous Media: Stoichiometry and Kinetics,” Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 35, No. 11, 2001, pp. 2219-2225. doi:10.1021/es0017007