The regeneration and recycle of chromium etching solutions using concentrator cell membrane technology

The regeneration of chromium (VI) and the recovery of etched copper from chromium etching solutions by electrodialysis is improved by the addition of a concentrator cell in the catholyte chamber. The concentrator media used are ion-exchange resins or activated carbon cloth. The maximum percentages for the regeneration of chromium and recovery of copper in these systems is however less than 80% and 90% respectively because of the competition between the processes of oxidation of Cr(III) and electrodeposition of copper. A novel combination of electrolysis with electrodialysis and concentrator cell technology is developed that achieves 92% chromium regeneration and 90% copper recovery.