Superconducting Magnetic Separation Technique for Wastewater Treatment

A new study on superconducting magnet application technology shows that a high gradient magnetic separation process can be used to purify industrial wastewater discharged by paper making, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
    Superconducting magnetic separation technique is rarely used in wastewater treatment. Although in recent years it has achieved remarkable results in separating magnetic metal contaminants from wastewater in steel plants, aluminum factories etc., its applicability ends here because nonmagnetic organic and inorganic pollutants in wastewater cannot be separated by the magnetic attraction created by the magnetic field; even if some magnetic particles are added earlier in the process, the separation effect will still be far from satisfactory because normal electromagnets' magnetic density is too low.    
    Unlike traditional superconducting magnetic separation techniques which can only separate magnetic impurities in materials such as minerals, coals and kaolin, the high gradient magnetic separation process, by pre-adding modified magnetic seeds, can also separate organic and inorganic pollutants from industrial wastewater to meet the discharge standard.   
    This technique is jointly developed by the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of CAS, Northeastern University, and Shenyang Water Affairs Group Co., Ltd. It is sponsored by the Eleventh Five-Year Hi-tech R & D Program (863 Program) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Outstanding Overseas Chinese Scholars Fund of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.