Removal of Copper Ions from Simulated Wastewaters Using Different Bicomponent Polymer Membranes

The main goal of this study was to explore the suitability and performance of bicomponent polymer membranes based on acrylonitrile copolymers-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixtures and small quantities of anion (Purolite A100) or cation exchange resin (Purolite C150), prepared by phase inversion. Membranes were used for copper removal from synthetic wastewater solutions. A three detachable cylindrical compartment electrodialysis cell without recirculation of the electrolytes and synthetic solutions of various concentrations, similar to a copper electrowinning electrolyte, were used. The electrodialysis unit operates under galvanostatic control. The effect of pH on electrodialysis separation of Cu²⁺ and on the solution conductivity has been also investigated. The laboratory electrodialysis cell performance was evaluated in terms of percent of extraction (pe) and current efficiency (ce). Experimental results showed that the ionic transfer in electrodialysis cell was especially affected by concentration. The highest values for the pe (>81 %) and the ce (>25 %) of copper ions were obtained at maximum concentration in copper ions (3 g/L), indicating a better performance of the ion extraction. The transport of copper ions was also correlated with flux data. The ion exchange membranes were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, ESEM, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.