I live in ohio, and i do all my own tanning. What is the proper way to dispose of the pickle and tanning solutions. i use safety acid for pickle and lutan f for tanning.I have a aeration tank and leech feild for a septic system. Could i dump this stuff down the drain? Legally.
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You should check out the MSDS forms for any information, then contact a septic system expert to see how this will effect the operation of your system. Another option is to evaporate the water and then put the solid waste in the trash, there should be very little.
ALWAYS - when you dump spent solutions - raise their PH to a 6.0-7.5 range before dumping. In effect - neutralize them.
NEVER - dump such solutions into a septic system. Although they may not be hazardous - they may kill off the bacteria that you depend on to keep breaking down your other wastes.
As for dumping - in most cases, the actual chemicals arent the culprits as far as pollution goes - but Salt is the main problem! It kills plant life whereever you dump it. Because of it - most customers tell me that for small amounts of solutions they sometimes simply dump in their driveways where they would salt anyway. If you have access to city sewage - dumping normally isnt a problem.
But - for larger amounts in the country without city sewage - then you face having to place the solutions in a holding tank and having it pumped and hauled away. Evaporation is an option, as Mark mentioned, but it may become expensive. Recycling the water is another option - but it requires careful monitoring and some treatment.
Mark also brought up another point that is always worth mentioning when on this topic. ALWAYS - CHECK THE MSDS SHEETS on the chemicals you use before disposal!
One other option you have is simply use Potassium Chloride instead of Salt (Sodium Chloride)! Potassium Chloride is actually a fertilizer and will not kill plant life.
However - it's more expensive than Salt and for that reason is widely used.
Your choice!