Recycling Waste/Scape Metals
Through Vacuum Acid Soaking
Introduction
With the accumulation of waste and scape metals in Papua New
Guinea increasing annually, the need for sustainable ways to
renew or reuse them has be struggle and also an ignored problem
that the government is showing little concern toward. This is why
this project was launched; to demonstrate how simple and effective
method to actually reverse rust. The main idea behind this project
is to demonstrate a simple reverse rusting process that would
essentially convert the iron oxides (rust) compounds on a metal
specimen to iron ions which reattach to the parent material.
The goals is to create a new simple and effective way to reverse
rust. Project’s success will be judged upon meeting the following
objectives:
✓ Reverse rust successfully
✓ Define parameters of usage through a simple test, such a
Tensile Test if possible
Literature Review
British patriot Ian Ashdown. Ashdown, according to Callcott
(1989) showed through his, “research and subsequent refinement
of the rust-to-iron process was based on what is known as
plasma chemistry, which removes corrosion without destructive
mechanical and chemical scraping”, a new method which not only
cleans the metal but also reattaches the reacted iron ions in the
iron oxide (rust) to the parent material. This project is aimed
towards achieving similar results on a small scale process so as
to give local communities an opportunity, through the designed
process, to actively contribute to environmental and material
conservation and sustainable growth.
Ashdown took advantage of the unbound electrons and positively
charge ions by electrically bombarding a vacuum sealed corroded
object with hydrogen atoms which resulted in a much of the rust
converting to hard iron and the object returning to its original
shape and size. In relation to the project at hand, similar results
can hopefully to be achieved by using acids instead on hydrogen
inside a vacuum with the corroded object submerged beneath the
acid solution.
Group M
Papua New Guinea University of Technology
Methodology & Materials
The project practical experimentation comprises of:
✓ The Vacuum Acid Soaking
The Vacuum Acid Soaking
This is the main part of the project in which we are attempting to
reverse rust through simple scientific principles and methods. The
Materials and methods to be used in this part of the project are given
below.
Materials
✓ Standard 44 Gallon Clean Oil Drum
✓ Strong acid (if not available, use Coke or Lemon Juice)
✓ Specimen (Rusted Iron)
✓ Silicone
✓ Cornstarch or Flour
✓ Food coloring
✓ Vacuum Pump or Air Compressor
✓ Metal Sheets
✓ 1x ¼ inch shut-off valves
✓ 1x ¼ inch male to male nipples
✓ 1x ¼ inch hose barb
Method
1. First step is constructing the vacuum. Take the 44 Gallon Oil Drum
and using a grinder cut of a quarter of its body, lengthwise. Make sure
to wield shut all gaps on the bottom and top lid of the drum.
2. Now take a metal sheet or acrylic and take measurements to find
out how much of the sheet you will need in order to seal the area you
cut shut.
3. Now connect up the piping fittings and connect it onto the metal
sheet or acrylic by drilling a hole and creating screw fittings. Once in
place you can also connect the vacuum gauge to the system. This is
essentially the lid of the vacuum chamber being created.
4. Now create the rubber sealing by mixing the silicone and food
coloring. Use the cone starch or flour to help shape the sticky mixture
until it becomes like play dough, the technical term is proto-putty. At
this point you must start using it to seal the vacuum as the proto-putty
will harden into a stretchy rubber solid within 10 minutes of mixture
creation. The seal is not permanent but is effective and custom
shaped nevertheless.
5. With the vacuum sealed, test the chamber by connecting the
vacuum pump to the chamber and removing air.
Methodology &
Materials(con.)
6. If test proves successful, move on with the experiment by placing the
specimen inside the now open chamber and slowly and carefully
adding acid to them. Check to see if all specimens are fully submerged.
7. Once checked, depressurize the chamber and give the specimens
20-24 hours to soak.
8. After the time period, depressurize the system and take the
specimens out for inspection. Evidence of successful reverse rusting
will include slight increase in specimen size but not necessarily in its
weight. Color change of the solution (acid to aqueous solution of iron)
from colorless to light green to light brown should also indicate a fair
reverse in rust or restoration of parent material.
Results & Discussion
From this, the metal specimen was soaked for about 12 hrs. The rusted
and reverse specimens are shown below:
Rusted Specimen Reverse Rusted Specimen
Notice how the rusted area of the first image is later easily wiped off by
a sponge thereby indicating so sort of reverse rusting completion. The
scientific explanation is simple; once submerged, the rust was reduced
by the hydrogen ions from the acid thereby displacing iron ions where
eventually form metallic bonds with the parent metal. Other products
include carbon dioxide gas and water. A general word equation show
the main reactants and products of the reaction is given below:
Rust + Acid Iron + Carbon Dioxide + Water
This research was supported by Mr. Jackson Taviri [Project International Partner]
Presented at the Civil Engineering Foyer on the 15th of June 2017.
Conclusion &
Recommendations
Essentially, there is sufficient evidence given to say that the project
was successfully complete where the main objective was achieved
using the material outlined and methods described in the previous
sections of the report. With that it is the team’s hope that through the
results given in the project will advocate new and improved ways of
reusing and recycling scape metal in a clean, efficient and effective
manner.
The rust had to been wiped off the specimen because the acid used
in the experiment was fairly weak, carbonic acid (from coke). Use of
a stronger acid when have yielded better results due to the high rate
of dissolution. Another reason why the rust reversal required
mechanical abrasion of some extent was due to the fact that a
vacuum was not created because equipment available at the
engineering workshop was limited. So instead, the chamber was just
sealed air-tight hence metallic bonds form were not set in properly. A
final improvement to the chamber would to rebuild a vacuum tube
similar to that used in J.J Thompson’s Cathode Ray experiment as
part of the vacuum chamber so as to excite the ions in the solution
during the process to allow for more permanent metallic bond
formations and quicker rust reversal process time.
References
Callcott, J.A. (1986). Researcher Finds Way to Turn Rust Back Into
Iron. Retrieve March, 2017 from:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-10-19/news/0260290108_1_ir
on-rust- artifacts
Helmenstine, A.M. (2017). Plasma Definition in Chemistry and
Physics. Retrieve March, 2017 from:
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-plasma-605524