The chemical precipitation of nickel on ion exchangers and active carbons

The chemical precipitation of nickel in the form of poorly soluble precipitates in ion exchanger matrices and on active carbons from solutions of nickel chloride and chemical nickel plating electrolytes was studied. The sorption of nickel ions from a solution of nickel chloride occurs most effectively on Purolite D24002 macroporous chelate forming ion exchanger, KU-23-15/100 sulfo cation exchanger, and KU-2-8 gel sulfo cation exchanger. Nickel enters sulfo cation exchangers in the form of counterions, and is adsorbed on Purolite D24002 largely because of complex formation. The subsequent precipitation of nickel in the solid state in matrix pores liberates ionogenic centers, which allows repeated sorption cycles to be performed. After three chemical precipitation cycles under static conditions, the amount of nickel is higher by 170–250% than the ion exchange capacity of the sorbents. The electrolyte of chemical nickel plating contains nickel predominantly in the form of negatively charged and neutral complexes with glycine, which cannot form bonds with the matrices under study. It is therefore reasonable to perform sorption at decreased solution pH values.