Reducing the Amount of Boron in the Wastewater of a Boron Processing Plant by Chemical Precipitation

The effect of pH and the amount of Ca(OH)2 on the precipitation of boron from Eti Maden Kırka Boron Operations’ wastewater that contained 2752 ppm boron was investigated. It was observed that control of pH was the most important parameter and stepwise addition of Ca(OH)2 after adjustment of pH improved the precipitation. The best result was obtained in the two-stage addition of Ca(OH)2 with the initial control of pH and additional use of aluminum sulfate in the second stage which helped both in the reduction of pH and coagulation. Under these conditions, it was possible to lower the boron content in the wastewater to 250 ppm.