Solution waste treatment

Claim 1

A process for removing dissolved metal from spent copper or nickel plating solutions containing a dissolved metal selected from the group of nickel and copper ions, and active complexing agent, said process comprising the steps of rendering said solution an electroless metal plating solution by adjusting the pH of the solution and adding a reducing agent to the solution in an amount sufficient to cause plate-out of the dissolved metal in solution and contacting the solution with a seeder for a time sufficient to plate substantially all of said metal from solution onto said seeder, said seeder comprising a particulate material of large surface area having a colloidal noble metal catalytic to deposition of the dissolved metal in solution absorbed on its surface, said particulate material with said absorbed colloidal noble metal having a thin layer of metal over at least 50 percent of its surface, said thin layer of metal being selected from the group of copper and nickel and being copper when said spent metal plating solution is a copper plating solution and being nickel when said spent plating solution is a nickel plating solution and separating said seeder from said plating solution.