Characterization Settler effluent of Nickel Carbonate in the Company Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara. Moa, Cuba

Abstract

This paper aim is charactering the effluent of the nickel carbonate thickener, which is obtained from the distillation of the product solution of the ammoniacal carbonate leaching. The following physical characteristics were determined for such as: pH, turbidity, color, total dissolved solids, suspended solids, as well as their particle size behavior and also the following chemical characteristics were determined such as calcic hardness, total hardness, total chlorides, ammonia, total nickel and dissolved nickel, as well as Langelier’s Index. Within the applied methods, the electrometric, colorimetric, assessment, gravimetric volumetric and the atomic absorption method are included. The effluent according to the results obtained is a, little turbid, from slight hard to moderately hardness, of total high alkalinity and very colorful waste water, with high total dissolved solids, low average suspended solids , with high content of chlorides and ammonia, high presence of metallic elements and sulfates, it has total average nickel concentration of 183,03 mg/L, 81,3 % is encountered as dissolved nickel , from fairly corrosive to severe scaling, 28,53 % of its particles are in the colloidal state and maximum particle size of suspended solids of 43,27 µm. It was concluded that according to its characteristics, it is possible to recover the dissolved nickel through a process of coagulation-flocculation, for which a prior treatment is recommended in order to reduce the ammonia content.