Treatment of sludge containing metal hydroxides using electrochemical technology for metal recovery

The European Union 'EU' electroplating industry generates annually about one million tons of sludge. This material is classified, by the EU, as hazardous material that should be treated or inertized before their waste disposal. On the other hand, this sludge could be considered as secondary raw material having non negligible economic value. An innovated, environmental friendly and clean electrochemical technology is used for the treatment of this sludge. It allows the recovery of its metal content without using any chemical reagent and don't generate any wastes. Pilot plant experimentation demonstrated the process feasibility and the economical assessment indicated a paying off of four years.