Electrolytic recovery can be used with most plating baths. The amount of metal to be plated per square meter of cathode determines the electrolytic recovery unit's design capacity. Therefore, the volume and concentration of plating dragout greatly influences system design and size. There are advantages to the electrolytic recovery process. For instance, ER units can operate continuously and the product is in a metallic form that is very suitable for re-use or resale.
Electrolytic units are also mechanically reliable and self operating.
Very importantly, contaminants are not recovered and returned to the plating bath. The major disadvantages to electrolytic recovery is high energy cost. Energy costs will vary, of course, with cathode efficiencies and local utility rates. Deionozed Water Using deionized water to prepare plating bath solutions is an effective way of preventing waste generation. Some groundwater and surface water contain high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, chloride and other soluble contaminants that may build up in process baths.