REMOVAL OF CHELATED COPPER FROM WASTEWATERS BY IRON CEMENTATION

The treatment of wastewaters containing the chelated copper species by cementation on powdered iron was studied. The removal of heavy metals was found to be a function of solution pH, amount of EDTA and iron, concentration of copper ion, and contact time. In the presence of EDTA, reaction rate of cementation was found to be strongly dependent on solution pH values, and the global reaction rate was found to be half-order with respect to the concentration of copper ion and first-order with respect to the amount of iron. These experimental results can be explained successfully by the distribution of complexed copper ion species in solutions.