Removal of chromium from electroplating sludge by roasting-acid leaching and catalytic degradation of antibiotics by its residue

The recycling of electroplating sludge is of great significance to alleviate environmental pollution and resource depletion. However, due to the complex composition of electroplating sludge, especially chromium-containing electroplating sludge is difficult to treat, and the methods for detoxification and resource utilization of chromium-containing electroplating sludge are still lacking. Herein, we extracted chromium from electroplating sludge by a facile and economical roasting and acid leaching method to achieve detoxification, and the remaining detoxification residue was converted into a Fenton-like catalyst, which was used for the degradation of tetracycline to achieve resource utilization. The results showed that the extraction of chromium by this method could reach 93.35%, the resulting catalyst had excellent degradation performance over a wide pH range (3-11), and the removal of tetracycline could reach 98.8% under optimal conditions. Furthermore, cost calculations have shown that this method has cost advantages over traditional processing methods. In this work, an excellent performance catalyst was obtained that can be used for tetracycline degradation along with the detoxification of electroplating sludge, which provides a new route for the harmless treatment and resource utilization of electroplating sludge, with important theoretical fundamental value and potential application prospect.