Methods for removing heavy metals from water using chemical precipitation and field separation methods

A water treatment method comprising the following steps:

• (a) Precipitating heavy metals by adding lime, limestone, caustic, magnesium hydroxide, soda ash or any other material that will precipitate the heavy metals as hydroxides or carbonates;
• (b) Removing the precipitated heavy metal formed in step (a) by gravity clarification methods or by field separation methods such as magnetic separation, dissolved air flotation, vortex separation, expanded plastic flotation or any other method that uses field forces rather than filtration to remove the particles from the water;
• (c) Precipitating the residual heavy metals remaining in solution after steps 1(a) and 1(b) by using organic sulfides, inorganic sulfides, sodium borohydride, ferrous, or any other chemical that can precipitate more metals from the water than hydroxide and carbonate chemicals;
• and
• (d) Removing the heavy metal precipitated in step 1(c) by field separation methods selected from the group comprising gravity clarification, magnetic separation, dissolved air flotation, vortex separation, expanded plastic flotation or any other method that uses field forces rather than filtration to remove the particles from the water.