This case study focuses on the integrated electroplating heavy metal wastewater treatment solution provided by Yimei for a metal finishing plant in the United States. The project is designed primarily for heavy metal removal, solid-liquid separation and sludge dewatering.

Heavy metals contained in industrial wastewater pose severe risks to human health and the environment. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium accumulate in water bodies, disrupting ecosystems and exposing enterprises to regulatory compliance pressures. Effective heavy metal removal is essential to meet discharge standards.

Yimei has extensive practical experience in the design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of high-performance heavy metal wastewater treatment systems. Leveraging proven technologies and innovative processes, we tailor solutions according to your water quality characteristics, water volume and operational goals to deliver safe, compliant and efficient wastewater treatment.



Common Heavy Metals and Their Impacts
Industrial wastewater generally contains heavy metals including lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel and copper. These metals exist as heavy metal ions or other metallic ions and accumulate in water bodies and living organisms. Even at low concentrations, they cause pollution and present significant risks to human health, such as organ damage, neurological disorders and complications from long-term exposure. Regulatory limits are set as low as micrograms per liter (µg/L). If limits are exceeded, enterprises may face fines, production shutdowns and reputational damage. Beyond compliance concerns, residual heavy metals can damage equipment, foul membranes, inhibit biological treatment and form precipitates inside pipelines. Efficient heavy metal removal also reduces heavy metal levels in sludge, enabling safer and more cost-effective sludge disposal.

Overview of Effective Wastewater Treatment Methods
Effective removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater requires a combination of chemical, physical and electrochemical methods, including:
1.Chemical precipitation: Adding precipitants to convert dissolved heavy metal ions into insoluble precipitates for solid-liquid separation.Please Refer to Yimei’s Sedimentation Systems.
2.Adsorption: Using high-performance adsorbents to capture heavy metal ions from wastewater.
3.Membrane separation: Intercepting heavy metal contaminants via selective permeable membranes such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis.
4.Ion exchange: Heavy metal ions are exchanged with functional groups on ion exchange resins to purify wastewater.
5.Electrocoagulation & Electrodeposition: Electrochemical processes to aggregate heavy metal pollutants or recover metallic resources.Please refer to the Yimei wastewater treatment system.

Technical highlights
lamella clarifier：lamella clarifier can not only be used as set equipment for air float, lift and other water processes, but also can single-stage treatment of various sewage for example. the clarifier is widely used in sewage treatment engineering because of the advantages of high sedimentation load, good effect and small occupation area.
Sands Filter and Activated Carbon Filter: The quartz sand filter uses quartz sand as the filter medium. Under a certain pressure, it effectively intercepts and removes suspended solids, organic matter, colloidal particles, microorganisms, chlorine, odor and certain heavy metal ions in water relying on the thickness and grain size of the quartz sand filter bed.

Activated Carbon Filter: Granular activated carbon is adopted to further remove residual chlorine, organic matter, suspended solids and other impurities from the effluent of the mechanical filter, which benefits the subsequent treatment processes.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Process: It can trap substances larger than 0.0001 micron. As the finest membrane separation technology, it effectively blocks all dissolved salts and organic substances with molecular weight greater than 100, while allowing water molecules to pass through. It can filter inorganic salts, heavy metal ions, colloids, bacteria, viruses and other impurities in water, including heavy metal ions such as lead, zinc and copper, to make the water cleaner and safer.

Each type of wastewater has unique characteristics, and the water volume generated varies among different industrial production activities. We supply not only equipment, but also complete, tailor-made solutions.

Heavy Metal Removal Options

Yimei provides end-to-end support for wastewater treatment solutions, combining technical processes, engineering, and lifecycle services to ensure reliable performance. Depending on the characteristics of different wastewater streams, treatment processes such as DAF, MBBR, MBR, SBR, A/O, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection can be configured and flexibly combined to meet specific treatment requirements.

Conclusion

Take control of your wastewater treatment challenges. Contact Yimei, and our technical team will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.