From October 31 to November 3, the Grand Final of the 19th 'Challenge Cup' China Mobile National College Students' Extracurricular Academic and Technological Works Competition, co-sponsored by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, China Association for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, All-China Students' Federation and the People's Government of Jiangsu Province, was held at Nanjing University. This competition attracted more than 400,000 works and over 3 million students from more than 2,700 universities across the country. South China University of Technology sent 4 works to the national grand final this time. Among them, the project Electro-Extracted Green Gold — R&D of an Electrochemical Recovery Device for Low-Concentration Nickel in Acidic Electroplating Wastewater, guided by teachers such as Feng Chunhua from the School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology and led by Yang Yizhuo as the project leader, won the National Second Prize.

Group Photo of the Participating Team at the Final Site

Team Introduction:

The 'Electro-Extracted Green Gold' project team of South China University of Technology focuses on the treatment of nickel-containing electroplating wastewater. Aiming at the characteristics of multi-metal, high acidity and low concentration of acidic nickel-containing wastewater, the team has developed a set of high-efficiency electrochemical recovery devices. Through three major innovations — a new type of quaternized composite additive, a copper-tin alloy modified electrode and a flow-through reaction structure — the team has realized the targeted capture and high-efficiency reduction of low-concentration nickel, solving the problems of low recovery grade and waste of metal resources in traditional methods. The device has been successfully tested in electroplating factories in Guangdong Province, with the nickel recovery rate and purity both reaching 99%. It significantly reduces treatment costs and brings considerable benefits from metal recovery, achieving both environmental and economic benefits. Supported by a number of patents and high-level papers, the device promotes the leap of electroplating wastewater treatment from 'pollution control' to 'resource utilization'.

Basic Team Information:

Project Name: Electro-Extracted Green Gold — R&D of an Electrochemical Recovery Device for Low-Concentration Nickel in Acidic Electroplating Wastewater

Participation Group: Science and Technology Invention and Production Category B 

Guiding Teachers: Feng Chunhua, Chen Yan, Wu Honghui

Team Members: Yang Yizhuo, Zhang Zhuoyu, Wei Siyuan, Li Jinxuan, Chen Bingbing, Huang Rimei, Ou Yipeng, Hu Limeng

Text & Photos: School of Environment and Energy

First Review: Li Wenjie, Lü Xiaoting

Second Review: Wu Honghui

Final Review: Zhu Nengwu