REMOVAL OF CADMIUM FROM WASTE-WATER BY ENHANCED ULTRAFILTRATION USINGSURFACTANTS

In order to recover cadmium ion from wastewater, a process based on en hanced ultrafiltration was finalised. The originality of the solution here proposed lies on the coupled use of ceramic membranes and of a su rfactant added to the water to be treated. This paper deals with the s tudy of the influence of experimental conditions upon permeation flux and selectivity of the separation. The process is efficient and flexib le since a single stage treatment allows to reduce the concentration o f cadmium in the effluent by a factor of about 750; this high performa nce in selectivity is on a par with high fluxes of permeate (roughly 1 70 L.h(-1).m(-2) at 25 degrees C and 3 x 10(5) Pa).