Sample Problem: Chromium Hexavalent Treatment

1500 gallons of a cleaner is contaminated with 20 mg/L of hexavalent

chromium. How many pounds of sodium hydrosulfite will be needed to
reduce the chrome to trivalent?
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Solution:

Na S O + 2H CrO + 2H SO  Cr (SO ) + 4H O + Na SO
2 2 4 2 4 2 4 2 43 2 2 4

Na2S2O4 = 20 x (1/2) x (174/52) = 33.46 mg/L

Lbs. Na2S2O4 = 33.46 mg/L x 1500 gal x (3.785 L/gal) x (1 g/1000 mg) x
(1 kg/1000 g) x (2.2 lbs/kg) = 0.42 lb

Sample Problem : Cyanide Treatment

 500 gallons of spent cyanide plating solution are to be batch treated. The
concentration of cyanide amenable to chlorination in the solution is 200
mg/L. How many gallons of 15% sodium hypochlorite are necessary to
accomplish the oxidation of cyanide? The weight of 15% NaOCl is 10.2
pounds/gallon and it takes 7.2 pounds of sodium hypochlorite to oxidize
one pound of cyanide.
 1st stage :

NaCN + NaOCl + H2O  CNCl + 2NaOH  NaCNO + NaCl + H2O

NaOCl = 200 x (1/1) x (74/26) = 569.2 mg/L
NaCNO = 200 x (1/1) x (65/26) = 500 mg/L

2nd Stage:

NaOCl = 500 x (1/2) x (74/65) = 284.6 mg/L

Total NaOCl = 569.2 + 284.6 = 853.8 mg/L
15% NaOCl = (853.8/0.15) = 5,692 mg/L
Gal 15% NaOCl = 5,692 mg/L x 500 gal x (3.785 L/gal) x (1 kg/1,000,000 mg) x (2.2
lb/1 kg) x (1 gal/10.2 lbs) = 2.323 gal.

Lbs. CN- = 200 mg/L x 500 gal x (3.785 L/gal) x (1 kg/1,000,000 mg) x (2.2
lbs/1 kg) = 0.833 lbs.
Lbs. NaOCl = 7.2 x 0.833 = 5.997 lbs.
15% NaOCl = 5.997/0.15 = 39.98 lbs.
Gal 15% NaOCl = 39.98 lbs x (1 gal/10.2 lbs) = 3.92 gal

Grand Total 15% NaOCl = 2.323 + 3.92 = 6.243 gal.