Removal of cadmium from wastewater by enhanced ultrafiltration using surfactants

In order to recover cadmium ion from wastewater, a process based on enhanced ultrafiltration was finalised. The originality of the solution here proposed lies on the coupled use of ceramic membranes and of a surfactant added to the water to be treated. This paper deals with the study of the influence of experimental conditions upon permeation flux and selectivity of the separation. The process is efficient and flexible since a single stage treatment allows to reduce the concentration of cadmium in the effluent by a factor of about 750; this high performance in selectivity is on a par with high fluxes of permeate (roughly 170 L.h(-1).m(-2) at 25 degrees C and 3 x 10(5) Pa).