Like any chemical experiment, metal refining must be conducted following certain safety rules to avoid accidents or serious health issues, especially since highly toxic and dangerous reagents are used in this process, posing risks to both humans and the environment.
Precautions begin with the selection of the place for the process, which should be designated solely for refining, with no circulation of people or animals. Regarding the handling of reagents, it is always recommended, in any chemistry laboratory worldwide, to wear long-sleeved lab coats, pants, closed shoes, safety goggles, and gloves resistant to the products being handled. It is also preferable to use laboratory-specific glassware. Remember, when handling acids, it is always recommended to add acid to water rather than the other way around to prevent the acid from splashing out of the container, thereby avoiding potential accidents.
Moving on to the refining process itself, it is crucial to carry out the corrosion of metals in a piece of equipment called a fume hood. The fume hood's function is to remove the toxic gases produced in chemical reactions, thus protecting the person conducting the procedure. The fume hood is also important in case of any reagent spills during the processes. Because of its direct contact with reagents, the fume hood needs to be made of material resistant to the acids used in metal corrosion.
In addition to the fume hood, an emergency shower and an eye wash station are necessary in case of contact with any reagent, to mitigate the potential damage caused by it. Additionally, no food or drink should be consumed in the refining area to avoid contamination by any reagent.
The storage of all reagents must also be done with great caution, always labeling all containers used and following the standards and precautions outlined in the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) of the reagents. Each reagent has its SDS, so it is recommended to read the sheet for each product used to better understand the types of substances being handled.
Finally, the proper disposal of products is also of utmost importance. Besides the reagents used, many metal alloys contain heavy metals in their composition, such as lead, chromium, copper, and nickel. When these alloys are dissolved, these heavy metals are present in the solution. Thus, if not disposed of correctly, both the reagents and the refining residues can cause significant environmental damage. Therefore, it is necessary to properly treat and dispose of each product used and produced.
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