Electrodeposition for rapid recovery of cobalt (II) in industrial wastewater

Abstract Cobalt (II) recovery from wastewater opens the opportunity for sustainability and green process. Herein, cobalt (II) was recovered from the aqueous solution by electrochemical cell method, so-called electrodeposition. Cobalt electrodeposition from the solution was conducted in the electrochemical cell using a graphite anode and a stainless-steel cathode by varying current (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25 A), pH (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), and cobalt concentration (10, 20, 30, and 50 ppm). The monitoring of all cobalt concentration changes was using ICP AES spectrophotometer. Electrodeposition at various applied currents has been removed 99.81% of cobalt from the solution in 20 minutes. Prolonging electrodeposition up to 25 minutes has removed 100% cobalt in the solution. Electrodeposition was also found useful at acidic to neutral pH by removal efficiency 99.37% in 20 minutes of the process. Cobalt in various concentration solutions can be removed 99.54% by applying a current of 0.25 A for 20 minutes. The conclusion is that the cobalt recovery process from PTA plant wastewater is feasible to be further developed.