4 ms·

> There's not much that can be done with it because essentially (not basically) it is acid Couldn't you neutralize it by (say) dumping in a bunch of baking sod

by lisper 6y ago

> There's not much that can be done with it because essentially (not basically) it is acid Couldn't you neutralize it by (say) dumping in a bunch of baking soda? Or lye? (Hm, what actually happens if you mix sulfuric acid with lye? Do they neutralize each other, or turn into something even nastier than the sum of its parts? That'll teach me to blow off high school chemistry.)

jwmerrill 6y ago
> what actually happens if you mix sulfuric acid with lye This reaction produces sodium sulfate (a salt) plus water and heat [1]. No idea if this is practical, though. Maybe it’s difficult to source sufficient quantities of some base to neutralize the acid. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_sulfate#Chemical_industry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_sulfate#Chemical_indu...
- Animats 6y ago
  There are alkaline wastes. Steelwork slag, power plant fly ash, residues from concrete production, and, the big one, what's left of bauxite after making aluminum. It's probably possible to build a plant to combine them and get some neutral-pH solid out. Still have a heavy metal problem, though.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - brudgers 6y ago
    Florida does not have steel production because it is distant from both coal and iron ore. Same for Aluminum. It does have portland cement production due to the abundance of limestone near the surface. However, portland cement production is more or less local globally...or it's usually made relatively close to where used. Conversely Florida's phosphate industry is a major source globally. The scales are incomensurate.
jliptzin 6y ago
Wouldn’t you get the same reaction as the baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment but on a huge scale?
brudgers 6y ago
There's far to much phosphate sludge for me to tackle. I don't have access to that much lye. Anyway, far brighter minds than mine have been looking at for at least fifty years...Florida got serious about phosphate ecology and water quality in the 1970's. The gypsum stacks and sludge ponds exist because of water quality regulations not the good will of industry. https://floridadep.gov/water/mining-mitigation/content/phosphate https://floridadep.gov/water/mining-mitigation/content/phosp...

by lisper 6y ago

jwmerrill 6y ago

> what actually happens if you mix sulfuric acid with lye This reaction produces sodium sulfate (a salt) plus water and heat [1]. No idea if this is practical, though. Maybe it’s difficult to source sufficient quantities of some base to neutralize the acid. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_sulfate#Chemical_industry https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_sulfate#Chemical_indu...

Animats 6y ago
There are alkaline wastes. Steelwork slag, power plant fly ash, residues from concrete production, and, the big one, what's left of bauxite after making aluminum. It's probably possible to build a plant to combine them and get some neutral-pH solid out. Still have a heavy metal problem, though.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- brudgers 6y ago
  Florida does not have steel production because it is distant from both coal and iron ore. Same for Aluminum. It does have portland cement production due to the abundance of limestone near the surface. However, portland cement production is more or less local globally...or it's usually made relatively close to where used. Conversely Florida's phosphate industry is a major source globally. The scales are incomensurate.

jliptzin 6y ago

Wouldn’t you get the same reaction as the baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment but on a huge scale?

brudgers 6y ago

There's far to much phosphate sludge for me to tackle. I don't have access to that much lye. Anyway, far brighter minds than mine have been looking at for at least fifty years...Florida got serious about phosphate ecology and water quality in the 1970's. The gypsum stacks and sludge ponds exist because of water quality regulations not the good will of industry. https://floridadep.gov/water/mining-mitigation/content/phosphate https://floridadep.gov/water/mining-mitigation/content/phosp...