(Fwd) INFOTERRA: HCl + H2SO4 pickle liquors waste mgmt with ze

["Rebecca Leighton Katers" <cwac@execpc.com>]

  This isn't necessarily a dioxin issue, but it's 
  another example of a potentially contaminated 
  waste deliberately disposed as a fertilizer.
  
  This is from a pollution prevention discussion 
  group which seems comfortable with the idea.   
  
  Does anyone have information on contaminants 
  which might result from wire manufacturing or 
  pickling?    Any toxic alloys which could leach 
  into the acid bath?
  
  Sulfuric acid is frequently 
  contaminated with traces of mercury (apparently, 
  it's present naturally in some sulfur deposits.)
  
  ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
  Date:          Fri, 29 Aug 1997 06:43:53 +0800
  To:            p2tech@great-lakes.net
  From:          Burt Hamner & Annette Ghee <hamnghee@MOZCOM.COM>
  Subject:       INFOTERRA: HCl + H2SO4 pickle liquors waste mgmt with zero
                 discharge requirement
  Cc:            alfernan@uniandes.edu.co
  Reply-to:      p2tech@great-lakes.net
  
  P2 Techers:  I am forwarding to you this request that was sent to the
  Infoterra listserv, along with my response, in case any one has some
  additional info they would like to pass on to the original sender.
  
  
  >Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:02:58 -0500
  >From: Alejandro Fernandez <alfernan@uniandes.edu.co>
  >Organization: Universidad de los Andes
  >To: infoterra@cedar.univie.ac.at
  >Subject: INFOTERRA: HCl + H2SO4 pickle liquors waste mgmt with zero
  discharge requirement
  >Sender: owner-infoterra@cedar.univie.ac.at
  >Reply-To: Alejandro Fernandez <alfernan@uniandes.edu.co>
  >Content-Length: 920
  >
  >Can someone help me? I am interested in options for management
  >(treatment, recovery) of pickling liquors wastes from wire
  >manufacturing. The tricky part is that a "zero-discharge" condition must
  >be contemplated in the analysis. A volume of up to 120 m3 must be
  >managed, 50% from HCl pickling liquor and 50% H2SO4 pickling liquor
  >(waste stream separation has not been implemented yet but is being
  >considered for the near future).
  >Hydrolisis for HCl and Fe oxide recovery appers to be financially out of
  >range. 
  >I would greatly appreciate any information that may assist to address
  >this challenge. Please send responses directly to sender. Thank you in
  >advance.
  >
  >Alejandro Fernandez, PE, QEP, CHMM
  >e-mail: alfernan@uniandes.edu.co
  >-
  
  Mr. Fernandez:  
  Several years ago I helped a company in Seattle prepare a pollution
  prevention and they had the same problem as you, and a very interesting
  solution.  The Davis Wire Company had to dispose of high volumes of acid
  from wire pickling.  Previously they had been neutralizing it for sewer
  disposal.  However they found out that sulfuric acid is a primary ingredient
  of certain kinds of fertilizer, and iron contamination of the fertilizer is
  not a problem since the stuff is applied to the soil from whence comes the
  minerals anyway.  So they purchased a small fertilizer production facility
  and put it at the end of the pickling liquor drain, and they sell the
  fertilizer they make to farmers in Eastern Washington.  Their engineer told
  me they seem to make more profits from fertilizer sales than from wire sales
  and he was wondering what industry he was in!  Hope this inspires some
  creative thinking for your clients.
  
  Burt Hamner
  Asian Institute of Management
  Manila
  
  Rebecca Leighton Katers
  Clean Water Action Council of N.E. Wisconsin
  2220 Deckner Avenue
  Green Bay, WI 54302
  Phone:  414-468-4243
  Fax:  414-468-1234
  E-mail:  cwac@execpc.com