Re-using used etch solutions for plating

We use ammonium persulphate and sulfuric acid bath to etch/mill copper. After the bath is saturated(used) can we use this for a plating bath? We currently dispose of it, but would like to get another use of it, or sell it.

Josh Sonju
- Kalispell, MT

Why don't you recycle the bath and just remove the copper from it? Unless you kill the persulphate completely - and adjust the copper concentration - and add chloride and remove some of the free acidity - and remove the trace contaminants from the bath, such as chromium and other ions, I do not think that you would be pleased with your plating results, nor would it be a "saleable process solution".

You can easily remove most of the copper from the bath - and if you generate enough of it, there is technology that can restore the persulphate back to the process conditions continuously and remove the copper as a resaleble by-product.

Tom Baker
wastewater treatment specialist - Warminster, Pennsylvania

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

No dead threads!
Your Q, A, or Comment puts this thread on The Finishing.com HOTLINE.

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: