Re: Disposing of sodium metal - burn it?

lucasea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
<pomerado@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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lucasea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
<mmzax@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1156177352.219904.120530@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks to all who made suggestions re. the disposal of 300g of
sodium metal (apart from the guy who said dessolve it in NaCL
solution). I've had another suggestion from someone else - burn it. Not
having
burnt sodium before, I'd like to check with you first. If sodium is
burnt, say on a camp fire, does it burn reasonably gently? Is this
a safe way of disposing of it?

No, it is not--it is a very dangerous thing to do. It is much more
reactive
than Mg, which burns extremely hot, and has the added bonus that it
melts,
which spreads the flames and exposes even more surface area to the
air. Almost no fire extinguishers work on it--not water, not CO2,
not foam, and
not halon.

Why won't a halon extinguisher work? Does the hot sodium break down
the halocarbons?

Yes. I don't even think it especially takes hot sodium. Far less
reactive metals like Mg react, sometimes violently, with
polyhalogenated organics.

The only extinguisher I know for sodium (and we have two) is a Pyromet...
http://www.chubb.co.uk/chserver/request/setTemplate:singlecontent/contentTypeA/webdoc/contentId/1396/navId/000000001
Some sort of volcanic powdered ash which just smothers the fire.


--
Ron Jones
Process Safety & Development Specialist
Don't repeat history, unreported chemical lab/plant near missesa at
http://www.crhf.org.uk Only two things are certain: The universe and
human stupidity; and I'm not certain about the universe. ~ Albert
Einstein


.

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