The basic principles of the method for
heavy metals electroextraction from technological solutions and
wastewater includes pretreating to remove
Chromium-6 and high concentrations of
heavy metals and periodically treating in a six-
electrode bipolar cylindrical electroreactor made of non-conducting material to achieve lower accepted levels of impurities. Six cylindrical steel electrodes form two
triode stacks and are fed with three-phase
alternating current of commercial frequency (50-60 Hz), which can be pulsed. Each phase of the three-phase current is connected to three electrodes of one
triode stack or in parallel to two
triode stacks. The parallel connection of three-phase current to two triode stacks is performed so that the same phase of the
three phase current is connected in parallel with each two opposite electrodes of six electrodes located along the periphery, or with two adjacent electrodes. A bipolar stationary
aluminum electrode is situated in the inter-
electrode space. In one of the embodiments, the bipolar
electrode is made of a perforated heat-resistant plastic container filled with secondary aluminum and
duralumin scrap. In another embodiment, the bipolar electrode of aluminum or
duralumin scrap may be made without a perforated container and is placed in the inter-electrode space as a bulk
scrap. In this case, to prevent shorts, each of six steel electrodes is placed in isolated perforated plastic shell with holes of 5 mm in
diameter. Non-
ferrous metals are extracted in a form of ferrite-chromites, and aluminates as well as hydroxyl salts deposited in the inter-electrode space without
electrolysis deposits on electrodes. Deposits are separated from solution by known methods of
filtration.