Impact of Power Supply on Electro-Precipitation of Nickel Hydroxide from Industrial Electronic Waste

Nickel is a silvery-white metal that is in high demand for a variety of commercial applications due to its ability to withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. However, the widespread use of nickel compounds in many applications has resulted serious environmental pollutions if they are not properly treated before discharging. The electro-precipitation technique for depositing nickel from industrial waste has become one of the most favorable treatment methods because of its simplicity and low environmental requirements. In this study, the efficiency of nickel deposition from industrial electronic waste with relation to power supply variation (5A and 10A) was explored using various parameters such as electrode type and reaction time. The experiments were conducted in a 500 mL batch reactor with dual electrodes: aluminum (Al) as and stainless-steel (SS) as the anode and the cathode. The results show that the optimum condition of electro-precipitation process of nickel removal efficiency of 99.9% was obtained at 5 A, for 45 min. This research could pave the way for a low-power treatment of industrial nickel wastes.