Metal manufacturing

The development of electrostatic precipitators soon led to new applications, including the separation of metal oxide fumes. This was followed by various metal manufacturing processes such as the lead blast furnace, ore roaster, and reverberatory furnace. Electrostatic gas cleaning was soon applied also in cement kilns and in several exotic applications, such as recovering valuable metals from exhaust gases. 

Primary metals manufacturing operations have experienced source reduction and recycle/reuse benefits similar to those available to metal finishing operations, including conserving waters through countercurrent rinsing techniques, and utilizing electrolytic recovery, customized resins, selective membranes, and adsorbents to separate metal impurities from acid/caustic dips and rinsewaters to thereby allow for recycle and reuse. 

Source From U.S. EPA, Development document for effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the nonferrous metals manufacturing point source category, report EPA-440/l-79/019-a, U.S. EPA, Washington, DC, 622 pp, 1979. 

---