Re: acid cleaning

[Susan and Mark Miller <marknsuz@pacbell.net>]

Kelley Mascher wrote:

> I have been told that for relatively mild acids you should dilute heavily and 
>neutralize them with a base like baking soda or TSP. They can then be dumped 
>in your home drain. Not the storm drain. One of the biggest problems treatment 
>plants have is the acidity of normal sewage, they have to do a lot of acid 
>neutralizing to get back to a balanced ph.

Dilution and neutralization with a base is the correct treatment.  When I was 
working in chemical recycling the sewer district where we were located (mostly 
residential and offices with some light industrial) had the opposite problem: 
the effluent was too high a pH (too much base, not enough acid).  We were 
neutralizing sulfuric acid.  Nasty on your
person (don't ask. . .), fairly benign on the environment (at least in the 
amounts we dealt with).  I think it (the surplus base) comes from the soaps we 
use.

Mark Miller

///  unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net  or try
///  http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
///  Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/shop-talk