DIY Chemical Disposal

[laroygreen]

Good day,

Does anyone know of a good and relatively easy and inexpensive way of safely (for the environment) disposing of C-41 chemistry yourself?

Thanks!

[AgX]

Fellow member PE years ago gave some hints at a system he wanted to evolve further, if I remember right.


EDIT:
You might have a look at this thread:
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum50/4...vironment.html

[laroygreen]

I read a few guides online, with most guides keep saying you need to neutralize the chemicals and recover the silver (and even after doing that, some still suggest that the chemical is hazardous waste), but the methods listed vary also. Who do you trust!

[AgX]

Some say so, some say so...

At one hand you could try to establish the affect your chemistries will have (a lot has been written on that matter), on the other you could just follow the authorities' rules that apply whereever you are located.

Over here the county effluent water engineer/officer takes the view that all photographic effluent independant ogf size of lab has to be considered chemical waste and must not enter the sewage system.

[jnanian]

how about finding a local lab and asking them to dispose of your tailings ?

the blix + wash water can have the silver removed using a ion transfer device
otherwise the ph has to be between 5 + 6 to use an electrolytic system .. ( with a higher than 50 ppm of silver )

[cepwin]

I looked up the regs in my area and they specifically state that prepared/dilute photographic chemicals can be poured down the drain. However this discussion has made me think again about the silver collector I looked into some time ago.

[laroygreen]

Unfortunately I don't live near any active film photo labs (they sell "amateur" film from old stock, but no longer develop - I live on a very small island). So far the recommendations online suggest:

- Mixing your developer and blix between PH 5 - 7 to kill it (sounds suspect)
- Putting steel wool in a plastic paint can, maybe introduce a small electrical charge, and basically perform some electrolysis to remove the silver from the liquid.

Seems very doable but does that sound like good advice (I use my chemicals to the max, and store chemistry in the freezer for months until I am sure I can't get anything more out of it - and it has worked well so far)?

[AgX]

The intersting thing about silver is that generally it is considered harmful in photographic affluent and the same time more and more new products containing "nano-silver" are marketed.

[laroygreen]

Oh wait! My friends wife has a PhD in Chemistry, I can ask her what to do with hazardous waste

[cepwin]

I just found "silver magnet" which has been discussed on APUG before appears to be available from porters.com. That would be better than steel wool. I'm going to call it.

Unfortunately I don't live near any active film photo labs (they sell "amateur" film from old stock, but no longer develop - I live on a very small island). So far the recommendations online suggest:

- Mixing your developer and blix between PH 5 - 7 to kill it (sounds suspect)
- Putting steel wool in a plastic paint can, maybe introduce a small electrical charge, and basically perform some electrolysis to remove the silver from the liquid.

Seems very doable but does that sound like good advice (I use my chemicals to the max, and store chemistry in the freezer for months until I am sure I can't get anything more out of it - and it has worked well so far)?