HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM FREE ETCH MANGANESE RECOVERY SYSTEM
Methods for recovering manganese etchant solutions are provided wherein a process solution used to rinse or neutralize a nonconductive substrate after etching the substrate is collected and evaporated to provide a concentrated process solution that is fed back into the manganese etchant solution or acid rinse.
1 - 24 . (canceled)
25 . An evaporating system for recovering a manganese etchant solution, the evaporating system comprising:
an evaporator assembly for evaporating water from a process solution to form a concentrated process solution,
wherein the evaporator assembly is connected to a process tank for use in an electroless metallization process,
wherein the process tank contains the process solution that is configured to be transferred into an evaporating processing tank.
26 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the evaporating processing tank further comprises a heater and an air agitator.
27 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the evaporator assembly discharges the concentrated process solution when it is concentrated to greater than or equal to about 2 g/L Mn.
28 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the process solution comprises a source of manganese ions.
29 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the process solution comprises an acid.
30 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the evaporator assembly comprises a vacuum evaporator.
31 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the evaporator assembly comprises an atmospheric evaporator.
32 . The evaporating system of claim 25 , wherein the evaporating system comprises a first conduit for transferring the process solution from the process tank to the evaporating processing tank.
33 . The evaporating system of claim 32 , wherein the first conduit includes a filter.
34 . The evaporating system of claim 32 , wherein the first conduit includes a one-way valve.
35 . The evaporating system of claim 32 , wherein the first conduit includes a pump.
36 . A method for etching a substrate using the evaporating system of claim 25 , the method comprising:
etching a nonconductive substrate with a manganese etchant solution to form an etched substrate;
neutralizing with a neutralizer the etched substrate, wherein the neutralizer comprises a process solution comprising an acid and an oxidizer;
removing from the neutralizer at least a portion of the process solution to the evaporator assembly;
evaporating the process solution in the evaporator assembly to remove water from the process solution to form the concentrated process solution.
37 . The method of claim 36 , the method further comprising activating the etched substrate after neutralizing.
38 . The method of claim 37 , the method further comprising accelerating the etched substrate after activating.
39 . The method of claim 36 , the method further comprising metallizing the etched substrate after neutralizing to provide a metallized substrate.
40 . A vehicle component comprising the metallized substrate of claim 39 .
41 . The vehicle component of claim 40 , wherein the vehicle component comprises a decorative trim.