Effect of Soluble Aromatic Compounds on the Neutralized Aggregation Treatment of Copper Wastewaters

Abstract

The composition of wastewater is becoming more complex with the development of new technologies and new materials. One of the difficulties to be overcome in the wastewater treatment is contamination with organic components, which make the neutralizing coagulation of heavy metals diffcult. This paper describes the effects of soluble aromatic compounds bearing one or two OH, CO₂H, NH₂ groups, in coagulation. The mono-substituted benzene derivatives, phenol, benzoic acid, and aniline, did not interfere with the coagulation of Cu. However, in the cases of o-disubstituted benzene derivatives, especially Catechol, Salicylic acid, and Aminophenol, coagulation was impossible. The effects of these compounds in coagulation are explained in terms of formation of complexes of Cu and their solubilities.