Resumen En este trabajo se muestran las consideraciones para el diseño de una planta piloto orientada a la recuperación de tungsteno y su posterior conversión en scheelita sintética como materia prima; esto, como una mejora ecoamigable para el actual proceso de niquelado químico en Field Service Solution (FES) S. A. S. La metodología de bajo costo mostrada provee una alternativa para el tratamiento de soluciones de niquelado químico agotadas (Ni-P-W) como fuente secundaria de tungsteno. La planta proyecta el tratamiento de hasta 750 L de desecho por semana, con lo que alcanza una producción máxima de 9,1 kg de scheelita por semana. Este prototipo constituye un modelo de ecosostenibilidad en la industria del niquelado mediante el control de la disposición de metales pesados y la producción de otros derivados del tungsteno, así como su posible reutilización en el proceso.

Abstract In this contribution, the design considerations to assemble a pilot-plant for tungsten recovery and further conversion into synthetic scheelite as raw material, as an eco-friendly improvement for the current electroless nickel process in Field Service Solution (FES) S. A. S., are presented. This low-cost methodology scale-up aims to provide an alternative treatment for spent electroless nickel solutions (Ni-P-W) as a secondary tungsten source. The plant is projected to treat up to 750 L of industrial waste per week, achieving a maximum scheelite production of 9.1 kg per week. This prototype serves as a model of eco-sustainability in the nickel-plating industry by controlling the disposal of heavy metals and by facilitating the production of other tungsten derivatives and their feasible reuse in the process.

Simple and sensitive procedures for the extraction/preconcentration of molybdenum based on vortex-assisted solidified floating organic drop microextraction (VA-SFODME) and cloud point combined with flame absorption atomic spectrometry (FAAS) and discrete nebulization were developed. The influence of the discrete nebulization on the sensitivity of the molybdenum preconcentration processes was studied. An injection volume of 200 µL resulted in a lower relative standard deviation with both preconcentration procedures. Enrichment factors of 31 and 67 and limits of detection of 25 and 5 µg L-1 were obtained for cloud point and VA-SFODME, respectively. The developed procedures were applied to the determination of Mo in mineral water and multivitamin samples.