From:
Jeffrey Lewin <jclewin**At_Symbol_Here**MTU.EDU>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Quenching n-butyllithium bottles
Date:
Jan 22, 2025 13:30 UTC
Reply-To:
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID:
<CAEwQnqhMhXfcq7_VwoXLAaVrgh47LJjx_R2xLyAoVmmH0uQjPg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:
<CAEiU9vCmCR4W4WjqpAFe1oGUv056UOu2nZKMXvq5yv2n6VRFpg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
Hello!
I was hoping you all would share some wisdom about when something counts as waste. I am at a small private institution with, unfortunately, little guidance in terms of chemical safety.
The questions:
When does something officially count as chemical waste?
Do you need a certification to quench or neutralize reactive chemicals, such as n-butyllithium?
The backstory:
This question came up as I discussed with my chair about n-butyllithium. She asked me about the quenching process. I told her our procedure, and she asked if we needed a certification to conduct that procedure. She pointed out that once the bottle is mostly empty that might count as chemical waste and technically we may not be allowed to neutralize it.
Since I didn't technically know the answer, I thought I would reach out to you guys.
Thank you for any advice/support you can provide.
Best,
Jonathan
--
-- Jeff Lewin
Chemical Safety
Environmental Health and Safety
Office of the General Counsel
Michigan Technological University
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