treatment of an old sulfuric acid

[iserlohn99]

salam everyone

we have an old stock or a bulk of sulfuric acid and we don't know how to make to eliminate it plz give me advices.

[mkhurram79]

write your problem in detail. In short for sulfuric acid most problems are related with corrosion. Always keep in mind that dilute sulfuric acid is much much dangerous and corrosive as compared with concentrated acid.

[wilson.bibe]

Hi Friend
Mix it with NaOH, the result it is NaCl,found in all of the oceans and necessary to the human life.
Regards

[mkhurram79]

Hi Friend
Mix it with NaOH, the result it is NaCl,found in all of the oceans and necessary to the human life.
Regards

dear i could not understand your answer i mean H2SO4 did not contain Cl how it is possible NaCl will form after adding HaOH.

[iserlohn99]

dear i could not understand your answer i mean H2SO4 did not contain Cl how it is possible NaCl will form after adding HaOH.

it s concentrated acid so do you have an idea plz

[mkhurram79]

salam everyone

we have an old stock or a bulk of sulfuric acid and we don't know how to make to eliminate it plz give me advices.

i understand that you want to dispose off sulfuric acid. Am i right?

[wilson.bibe]

Sir
acid+base=salt+water, the only form of neutralizing an acid is the addition of a base.
Regards and good luck

[mkhurram79]

Sir
acid+base=salt+water, the only form of neutralizing an acid is the addition of a base.
Regards and good luck

brother you are 100% right that acid+base=salt+water. I only object that Salt NaCl can not form because none of the reactant contain chloride ion.

Following reaction will occur when NaOH is added into H2SO4.

H2SO4 + 2NaOH = Na2SO4 + 2H2O

While Na2SO4 is known as sodium sulfate and Sodium sulfate is the sodium salt of sulfuric acid which satisfies our equation acid+base=salt+water.

Plz refer to this page for sodium sulfate properties.

[link Point to another website Only the registered members can access]
Sodium sulfate is irritant and nonflammable. You can dispose it off easily instead of sulfuric acid.

Here are few facts about sulfuric acid
Fact 1: Adding water (rain) to the acid will cause a violent reaction and someone could get hurt. There is a saying "If you think your life is placid, just add the water to the acid" to help you remember to always add the acid in a reaction you are carrying out.

Fact 2: Aqueous sulferic acid can react with concrete and would corrode the drain and possibly eat a hole in it.

Fact 3: Dumping acid down a drain will contaminate the water supply that the drain drains into.

Better advice would be two neutralize the acid with a base such as dilute sodium hydroxide. The NaOH would be dilluted with water and then slowly added to the acid until neutral or very close to neutral pH is reached.

I found some technical discussion regarding disposal. Here it is.

"Question - Sir, I haven a substantial quantity of sulfuric acid, about 15
gallons, which I have been using to pickle (etch clean) copper parts
that I have been making into a boiler for a steam locomotive. I have
completed the work and I wish to dispose of the acid in a safe way.
The solution is dilute in the approximate ratio of 1:15 acid/water.
I tried household bleach but only succeeded in producing chlorine gas!
A litmus test came up bright red and I am unwilling to go on making
chlorine and I am asking if there is a suitable chemical alternative
for baking soda, washing soda etc. Thanking you in anticipation.
------------------------------------------------
You are correct that household bleach is not an appropriate reagent for
neutralizing sulfuric acid. Baking soda will work, but as you have already
probably discovered, CO2 gas is produced and this makes a messy foam. The
most direct method would be to neutralize the sulfuric acid with DILUTE
sodium hydroxide, which you can probably obtain from a hardware store or
industrial chemical supplier under the common name,
"caustic soda". This should be diluted carefully with water because the heat
of dilution is substantial. Add the diluted sodium hydroxide slowly to the
dilute acid until the endpoint is reached using litmus paper. The reaction
product is aqueous sodium sulfate, which can be safely discarded into the
sewer/septic system.

A word of caution: Do NOT use "old fashion" Draino as a source of "caustic
soda". It is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and aluminum flakes. When diluted
hydrogen is evolved, which is potentially explosive."

Hope this material will solve your problem.

[iserlohn99]

thank you brother but is it possible to use lime instead of caustic soda ? or another compounds less dangerous than caustic soda in order to dispose of sulfuric acid?

[wilson.bibe]

Sir you are right, for fomation of NaCl the reagent must will be hydrochloric acid, many thanks.