How to Dispose of Nitric Acid

In this article, we’ll address specifically how to dispose of nitric acid. Like most acids, nitric acid can be neutralized prior to disposal. This chemical reaction greatly reduces the hazardous risks of nitric acid, helping your business to comply with the three tenants of proper waste disposal. The reaction must be completed safely, which we’ll explain in this article.

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Lab Alley
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Lab Alley

Proper disposal of chemical reagents is essential for three reasons:

  • Legal complianceWorker and environmental safety
  • Minimizing business/laboratory expenses
  • All labs and businesses working with hazardous chemicals must comply with the regulations set in place by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and local jurisdiction.

These regulations are in place to minimize risks to workers handling hazardous chemicals.Chemical waste disposal can be expensive for labs and businesses. Businesses must schedule waste pick-up from a hazardous waste disposal company. Minimizing your hazardous waste is one way to cut business costs. It will also reduce costs from replacing expired or spilled reagents.

The Impact of Hydrogen Peroxide on Biotechnology

Nature is full of inspiration for innovative solutions. One versatile chemical compound gifted us by nature is called hydrogen peroxide. The chemical formula looks a bit like water, but with an extra oxygen that makes dramatic changes to its reactivity.

Hydrogen peroxide not only plays a critical role in cellular processes, but can be exploited for innovative problem-solving in the field of biotechnology.

What is biotechnology?

This may seem like an obvious question, but let’s first spell out what exactly is biotechnology. Biotechnology is when biological systems are used to create new innovations and solve problems. A quintessential example is using yeast to ferment bread or beer.

Hydrogen peroxide is well-poised for biotechnological solutions, because it is found throughout nature as an essential chemical in biological processes.

The chemistry of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a molecule with the formula H2O2. It readily breaks down in the presence of a catalyst, heat or light, to form oxygen and water. The fact that it can be so easily broken down into harmless products is a valuable characteristic of this compound, which becomes especially useful in biotechnology applications.

H2O2 → O2 (g) + H2O (l)

Another special property of hydrogen peroxide is that it functions as a wide-spectrum disinfectant. Thanks to its strong oxidizing abilities, hydrogen peroxide can be an effective biocide against several microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, and spores.

This remarkable compound works by producing extremely reactive hydroxyl radicals. Those hydroxyl radicals can attack critical cell components of unwanted biological species, including lipids, proteins, and/or nucleic acids (DNA).

Hydrogen peroxide in nature

Hydrogen peroxide is found throughout nature, most notably in living cells where it plays a critical role in cellular processes. For example, hydrogen peroxide contributes to cellular signaling and protein folding, through its oxidative properties. It also plays a role in wound healing, innate immunity, and apoptosis, or normal (that is, non-pathological) cell death.

For this reason, all cells have evolved to have anti-oxidative mechanisms that protect your cells from oxidative harm, yet still allow hydrogen peroxide to fulfill its critical functions. All cells produce hydrogen peroxide as a by-product of cellular respiration. However, in high concentrations it can be harmful to the cell. For this reason, cells contain catalase, an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into harmless products, water and oxygen.

The role of hydrogen peroxide in biotechnology

General uses of hydrogen peroxide include:

• Disinfection of medical equipment
• Disinfection of food surfaces
• Cleaning edible produce
• Water treatment
• Cleaning hard surfaces
• Ear wax removal
• Household bleach/whitener
• Acne treatment
• Wound cleaning

Many of these uses are related to hydrogen peroxide’s strong oxidative abilities, which allow for broad-spectrum biocidal efficacy. Hydrogen peroxide is often preferred to alternative cleaners, especially chlorinated solvents, for the following reasons:

• Low environmental impact: Hydrogen peroxide degrades into water and oxygen, which reduces its environmental footprint compared to chlorinated alternatives.

• Relative safety: Hydrogen Peroxide has GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status, and is appropriate for use in food and pharmaceutical applications.

• No noxious odor: Hydrogen peroxide cleaners, when well-formulated, do not have a disagreeable odor, unlike chlorinated alternatives.

• Fabric-safe bleaching agent: Hydrogen peroxide based bleaching agents are generally more fabric and color-safe compared to alternatives.

The use of hydrogen peroxide for wound cleaning is a bit controversial. Although it is commonly used in households to clean wounds, this is not generally recommended since exogenous hydrogen peroxide will destroy not just microbes, but also your own cells. This includes the immune cells that were sent to the injured site to heal the wound in the first place.

Hydrogen peroxide is sometimes used as an acne treatment, although benzoyl peroxide is the more common and preferred option.

Peroxidases-H2O2 systems

Peroxidases are a type of oxidative enzyme which can be widely employed in environmental clean-up projects. For example, environmental waste generated by industrial processes includes build-up of pollutants such as: synthetic dyes, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, and drugs. Peroxidases can be used to perform oxidative reactions to play a role in environmental clean-up.

Hydrogen peroxide plays an important role in the enzymatic reactions of peroxidases in order to transform these environmental pollutants. In fact, the catalytic cycle is often critically dependent on the function of hydrogen peroxide.

Where to buy hydrogen peroxide

Lab Alley keeps hydrogen peroxide in stock and ready to ship for all your industry needs. We offer multiple chemical grades, concentrations, and sizing options, from small to bulk. All of our chemicals are guaranteed high quality, natural, and sustainable. Shop today on our easy-to-navigate website with no-hassle ordering, and speedy delivery.

Buy Isopropyl Alcohol Now

Where to restock on nitric acid

Now that you’ve disposed of your expired or degraded nitric acid, you will need to restock with a high-quality replacement from a supplier you trust. Lab Alley offers high quality nitric acid at competitive pricing, with a no-hassle ordering process, and fast delivery.

Activated Carbon (Charcoal) Powder, Food Grade, Coal Based, 100 Grams
Activated Carbon (Charcoal), Granular, Food Grade, 100g
Activated Carbon (Charcoal) Powder, Food Grade, Kosher, Wood Based, 250 Grams

Conclusion

Chemical waste disposal can be expensive for labs and businesses. Businesses must schedule waste pick-up from a hazardous waste disposal company. Minimizing your hazardous waste is one way to cut business costs. It will also reduce costs from replacing expired or spilled reagents.

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