Occurrence, Production, Important Compounds, and Uses

Most chromium is used in three basic industries chemical, metallurgical and refractory (heat-resistant) (Barceloux 1999), with the metal industry using the majority. Ferrochrome, an iron/chromium alloy, is used as an additive to produce chromium-steels which are stainless and hard. Chromic acid solutions are employed in electroplating of chromium on other metals to imPart corrosion resistance and for decorative purposes. The refractory industry has 

A copper chromium arsenic preservative is used in industrial pretreatment of timber. This process creates the potential for operator exposure (Garrod etal. 1999) as well as the need to remediate soil contaminated with the preservative (Balasoiu etal. 2001). Potentially, further remediation is needed when the wood might be recycled for wood chips (Velizarova et al. 2002). 

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