Heavy-metal programs that lower dissolved copper and zinc, convert hexavalent chrome to trivalent, and bring difficult municipal and industrial effluent below stringent discharge limits.
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Jenfitch metal-removal programs lower dissolved copper and zinc, convert hexavalent chrome to trivalent, and reduce other heavy metals in wastewater — helping plants hold NPDES limits by adding targeted chemistry rather than making wholesale process changes.
See the copper-removal studyCase Study — Sierra Foothills, N. California
A full-scale municipal wastewater plant in the Sierra foothills of Northern California was exceeding its 3.1 ppb dissolved-copper discharge limit, with influent copper ranging from 28 to more than 70 ppb. A Water-Effect Ratio study confirmed the limit applied.
Over a one-year full-scale trial, Jenfitch dosed JC 9830 — a metal precipitant that forms copper sulfide — at 10 mg/L into the aeration-basin discharge, paired with JC 1687, a cationic coagulant, at 10 mg/L at the secondary-clarifier inlet. The result: 94% of dissolved copper and about 70% of dissolved zinc removed, effluent copper below 1.4 ppb, and non-detect (<0.5 ppb) results in other trials.
Discuss a metals programTrial Data
| Sample date | Influent Cu (ppb) | Effluent Cu (ppb) | Cu removal | Zn removal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11 | 35 | 2.0 | 94.3% | 68.9% |
| Mar 15 | 28 | 1.6 | 94.3% | 79.8% |
| Mar 30 | 58 | 1.4 | 97.6% | 76.0% |
| Aug 16 | 46 | 3.8 | 91.7% | 56.3% |
The Chemistry
Metal hydroxide is amphoteric — it re-dissolves at both low and high pH, so removal is only reliable in a narrow window (the optimum for copper sits around pH 8.1). It also generates excessive, hard-to-dewater sludge and can be blocked entirely by natural chelating agents in the water.
Copper sulfide precipitates across a broad pH range, has far lower solubility, and drops out as a dense, easy-to-dewater sludge — delivering higher removal and working even where chelating agents defeat hydroxide precipitation. That is why JC 9830 forms a sulfide rather than a hydroxide.
The same program reduces toxic hexavalent chrome (Cr⁶) to the far less hazardous trivalent form (Cr³), which then precipitates and is removed with the other metals.
Applications
Sulfide precipitation plus cationic coagulation and flocculation removes dissolved copper and zinc to meet stringent NPDES discharge limits — 94% Cu and ~70% Zn in field trials.
Convert toxic hexavalent chrome (Cr⁶) to the far less hazardous trivalent form (Cr³) for safe handling and removal.
Learn more
Programs for electroplating, metal finishing, and industrial streams carrying mixed heavy-metal loads, including chelated metals that resist hydroxide precipitation.
Learn moreThe Two Products
Forms an insoluble metal sulfide that drops dissolved copper, zinc, and other heavy metals out of solution across a broad pH range.
Neutralizes particle charge and builds a dense, fast-settling floc so the metal-sulfide precipitate captures cleanly in the clarifier.
Questions
In the Northern California full-scale trial, effluent copper held below 1.4 ppb against a 3.1 ppb limit, and several trials reached non-detect at under 0.5 ppb — a 94% dissolved-copper reduction alongside roughly 70% dissolved-zinc removal.
Metal hydroxide is amphoteric, so it re-dissolves at low and high pH and only works in a narrow band around pH 8.1 for copper; it also makes excessive, hard-to-dewater sludge and fails when chelating agents are present. Copper sulfide precipitates over a broad pH range, has lower solubility, dewaters more easily, and works even where hydroxide precipitation is blocked.
The program reduces hexavalent chrome (Cr⁶) to trivalent chrome (Cr³), which is far less hazardous and precipitates for removal with the other metals.
No. The program adds two dosing points — JC 9830 at the aeration-basin discharge and JC 1687 at the secondary-clarifier inlet — so plants can hit discharge limits without wholesale process changes.
Where to next
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