Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

previous by date index next by date
  topic list next in topic

Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] How to handle Ferric Chloride safely and in environmental...

From: JanRwl@...
Date: 2003-11-12

In a message dated 11/11/2003 5:54:38 PM Central Standard Time,
suri_list@... writes:
after i
have used it for etching a board how can i dispose it safely so that
it doesnt hurt the environment or anybody else.
Harshit: You should be able to use the same solution for MORE than one
board, depending on how DEEP you cover the board with it (6-7 mm. is usually
enough!), how warm the solution is, the "oz. thickness" of the copper you use,
whether single- or double-sided, etc.

I you use no more than a liter per month, you can probably flush small
portions of that down the toilet, assuming you have "public sewer system". Sadly
for me, I have "private" septic-tanks, so this would ruin the bacterialogical
effect in that. SO, I pour the stuff on WEEDS in the yard, where there is no
"good grass" to worry about. It is NOT horribly nasty, except on the fingers!
However, I use no more than one or two liters of the stuff per year! Do you
live near the sea? You can pour DOZENS of liters of it in the sea, and it will
do NO harm, as it will be diluted in seconds, and will have NO "nasty"
effects.

However, if you use 100 liters a week or more, I would not suggest this.
BUT, ferric chloride is NOT used for large-quantity production of PCB's, now, is
it??? Common sense!

FeCl³ is simply IRON and CHLORINE. Chlorine is a "nasty" gas, but in ionic
form, it combines readily with other ions to make harmless substances
(table-salt is 50% chlorine!). Iron is not a poison! Now, if it were Arsenic
Chloride, etc., that would be a different matter! Think about it.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]