Waste minimization in electroplating industries: a review.

Wastewater, spent solvent, spent process solutions, and sludge are the major waste streams generated in large volumes daily in electroplating industries. These waste streams can be significantly minimized through process modification and operational improvement. Waste minimization methods have been implemented in some of the electroplating industries. Suggestions such as practicing source reduction approaches, reduction in drag out and waste, process modification and environmental benefits, have also been adopted. In this endeavor, extensive knowledge covering various disciplines has been studied, which makes problem solving extremely easy. Moreover, available process data pertaining to waste minimization (WM) is usually imprecise, incomplete, and uncertain due to the lack of sensors, the difficulty of measurement, and process variations. In this article waste minimization techniques and its advantages on the improvement of working atmosphere and reduction in operating cost have been discussed.