Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Removing Chrome Contamination from Glycol Cooling Loop

finishing.com is made possible by ...

Q. Our chiller loop which uses a 50/50 mix of glycol and water has gotten a small amount of hexavalent chrome in it resulting from a leak. While we've fixed the coil leak, we're left contemplating what to do with the contaminated glycol. We've talked to our normal TSDF haz waste firm and they what $10,000 for treatment and disposal. Any thoughts out there?

MIL-T-4 Stevenson
- Syracuse, NY
May 23, 2023

A. Hi Milt. It wasn't that long ago that hexavalent chrome was the corrosion preventative of choice to add to such cooling loops. Is there any possibility you can just leave it there? :-)

Alternately you could do a jar test to see if simple chrome reduction with bisulfite will work despite the glycol ... I suspect it will. Then you could precipitate and filter out the chrome and keep the water-glycol mixture. Luck & Regards,

ted_yosem
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: