Residual solutions containing Cr(VI) ions can be harmful to the environment as well as to human health. Hence, practical and efficient methods for the treatment of such solutions are welcome. In this note, the treatment with commercial steel wool pads of a Cr(VI) residual solution from electrochemical coloration processes of stainless steel is described in detail. Successful treatment was achieved when an amount of steel wool equivalent to 20% in excess in relation to the theoretical stoichiometric amount was used, followed by chemical precipitation with sodium hydroxide up to pH 10-11 and separation by filtration under reduced pressure. The treatment yielded a final solution with concentrations of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions of only 0.29 ± 0.02 mg L-1 and < 0.01 mg L-1, respectively. These concentration values are significantly lower than the maximum limits established by CONAMA for industrial wastewaters, attesting the efficiency of the treatment.

A combined chemical-electrochemical oxidation method to obtain porous bioactive TiO2 films on titanium is reported. In this case, a titanium chemical pre-etching followed by the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treatment is proposed and optimized, to obtain a high-roughness and porous surface which benefits the titanium/bone integration. The MAO treatment at various rates (different current densities) allowed to define the influence of the oxide growth rate on the surface morphology and to design the best features for each case. Titanium samples were pre-etched using a 2% HF solution as a function of the etching time, and then anodized by the MAO treatment in a 0.5 M H3PO4 solution at current densities in the 10 to 90 mA.cm-2 range. High porosity (0.5 to 1 µm-diameter pores) and higher phosphorous content for TiO2 films were achieved by first etching the Ti sample for 180 seconds in the HF solution, and then applying current densities in the 80 to 90 mA.cm-2 range for the micro-arc oxidation process.