Could electrowinning remove metals from electropolishing solution?
+ How can I use electrowinning to remove heavy metals resulting from electropolishing stainless steel from my electropolishing solution (phosphoric/sulfuric acid blend)? The proportions of metals in the used solution are essentially the same as in the 316L stainless steel that we electropolish. The used acid blend is an excellent feed stock for use in making specialized liquid fertilizers, but the metals content is troublesome to potential end users of this material. If I could “solution mine” the metals out, and in particular the heavy metals, then I can eliminate this waste stream entirely by preserving the commercial usefulness of the solution and passing it on for other uses. James B.
