Guidelines for care & Use of Dry Solvent Stills [Example]

a) Is your spill large enough to justify a special trip? Are you in a position to clean
up the spill yourself? (Overreacting is not a good idea!)
b) What is the location of the Research Director or teacher for your group?
c) Can you communicate to us the means of chemically neutralizing your
particular spill? If not, are you willing to help anyway? If you are willing to work
with lab chemicals, you had better be willing to help clean up your own spills. The
SRT people have the right to leave if you are not willing to help.
In general, spills of over 5 gallons of non-corrosive organic solvents or over one
gallon of corrosive organic solvents justify a response from the SRT.
Ruptures or leaks of the fifty-five gallon drums of acetone in room #20, the 55 gallon
drums marked “Hazardous Waste” of waste organic solvents in the Solvent Room, or the
numerous 5 gallon smaller drums of organic solvents in that room also warrant a visit from
the SRT. They can all be absorbed with a 1:1:1 mixture of sand, kitty litter, and sodium
bicarbonate.
Spills of aqueous inorganic salts don’t ordinarily require an SRT response, since
they do not normally exhibit corrosive properties or fumes. Mineral acids must be
neutralized, however, and the more acidic they are, the more corrosive they are going to be.
They should first be diluted with water.
When the SRT arrives, they will be wearing respirators, thick gloves and boots, or
possibly self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). They will probably “dike” the spill,
i.e., surround it with a small mound or dike of absorbent material. Organic solvents will in
general be absorbed with a 1:1:1 mixture of sand, kitty-litter, and sodium bicarbonate, as
will aqueous mineral acids and corrosive organic acids.
If you cannot answer their questions about the particular chemical spilled, you
should at least try to find someone who does, and you must participate in helping with spill
containment.
The first thing the SRT will do is attempt to locate spill absorbing information for
the particular chemical involved. If they cannot locate it in their copy of the CRC,
Hazardous Laboratory Chemicals Disposal Guide, they may need your advice. In the event
that they can find it in the book, the relevant section in CRC for that particular chemical
under its alphabetical chemical name listing is “spillage disposal”.
If a spill response team member cannot readily identify a spilled chemical, they will
employ the following method:
(a) Dike the spill with 1:1:1 mixture of sand, kitty-litter, and sodium bicarbonate
(b) Cautiously reach toward the spill and sprinkle above mixture onto surface of
liquid. If vigorous fuming and reaction occurs, back-off and reconsider the
situation (you at least know that the solution is acidic). Then sprinkle a little
water on the spill. Does water dissolve in the solvent? If so, dilute it with more
water and then dump enough 1:1:1 absorbent material on the spill to fully
absorb it. Let it dry awhile, then sweep it into a container for storage. It is
preferable to store it in a hood. If water reacts violently with the solvent,
carefully dump the absorbent material only (without diluting with water), over
the pool solvent while attempting to keep as much distance between yourself
and any fumes generated. Use the 1:1:1 mixture of sand, kitty-litter, and
sodium bicarbonate as a nearly universal absorbent. If it does not work as well
as it should, at least it will absorb the material until you can find the right way
to neutralize the liquid. Spread the mixture on the spill and carefully scoop it
into one of your white polyethylene trays. Then put it in a nearby hood and
keep it there until you find someone who can tell you how to neutralize it.
(c) If you can’t find the name of the chemical in the CRC Waste Disposal Book, ask
a nearby graduate student or professor to point out chemicals which are named
in the book, which most closely resemble the spilled chemicals in terms of
chemical property or structure.
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