Transport of zinc complexes through an anion exchange membrane Original Research Article

The transport of zinc complexes ions through an anion exchange membrane was evaluated by the treatment of solutions with and without cyanide. The ionic transport was analyzed as a function of the applied current density and of the cyanide and hydroxyl concentration. Experimental results showed that the ionic transfer in electrodialysis was mainly affected by concentration. There is an ideal molar relationship among the concentration of the cyanide ions, hydroxyl and zinc ions, in solution, in which the zinc transport is maximized. For values above or below this, the transport decreases. Zinc extraction from solution containing CN− was more effective when the current density of 29 mA.cm−2 was applied. The current–voltage curves (CVC) of the anion exchange membrane show that the electrical resistance of the AMV membrane increases with the presence of the zinc–cyanide complex in the solution.