Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions

Heavy Metals Removal

Remove heavy metals from industrial and municipal wastewater to meet effluent guidelines and maintain environmental compliance

Industries that utilize heavy metals in their processes are more concerned than ever about toxic heavy metals in their wastewater treatment processes and sludge and the impact these heavy metals have on both the environment and their bottom line. Veolia offers patented, break-through technologies that solve the problem of heavy metals in the areas of wastewater and sludge management while meeting effluent guidelines, maintaining environmental compliance and cost-effectively improving operational efficiency.

Product Highlight

MetClear metals removal solutions

Industrial, manufacturing and municipal facilities can contain toxic heavy metals in their wastewater, impacting downstream process, reuse of water, the environment, and the local community’s well-being. These metals include cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, mercury, nickel, silver, tin, and zinc.

Veolia’s MetClear solutions are designed to improve the removal of heavy metals to lower residual levels that traditional hydroxide precipitation may not consistently achieve. These products, coupled with Veolia’s flocculant and coagulant portfolio, help meet industrial and municipal facilities meet target concentration and increasingly stringent effluent requirements.

The Veolia treatment approach is to carefully diagnose your situation and design a customized solids separation and metal precipitation solution.

Features & Benefits

Heavy metal removal features & benefits

Veolia’s MetClear metals removal products, coupled with in-depth system auditing, monitoring, and engineered application recommendations, provide the following features and benefits:

  • A cost-effective approach to the removal of traditional heavy metals in wastewater
  • Improved metals removal efficiency
  • Capability to consistently meet or exceed discharge compliance requirements
  • Improvement of environmental image and public relations with surrounding communities
  • Availability of technical and engineering support to provide operating and monitoring recommendations, complementing chemical solution for a comprehensive and robust solution
  • NPE-free products

Case Studies

FAQs

What are heavy metals?

Heavy metals are particulate and soluble contaminant. The most common heavy metal contaminants that enter industrial and municipal wastewater from manufacturing processes and/or process additives include copper (Cu), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), gold (Au), iron (Fe), and vanadium (V). The metals of concern will vary from plant to plant.

What are the effects of heavy metals on the environment?

Metals in waste streams don't naturally degrade and are toxic to aquatic life, even at low concentrations. The effects of heavy metals on the environment include potential contamination from particulate metals as suspended solids entering receiving streams, as well as being toxic to aquatic organisms in the soluble form.

How are heavy metals removed from water and wastewater?

Heavy metals are removed from water and wastewater by chemical precipitation followed by a solids separation step, which can include clarification, flotation and/or filtration.