R764 [SO2] disposal

[jkessen2]

I have an old Monitor Top refrigerator that I want to modernize. It still works, so it still has four pounds of poison locked inside of it and the evaporator is rusting so it is only a matter of time before it leaks by itself. My question is, is there any special way to get rid of the sulfur dioxide? Can it be safely purged to the atmosphere or does it have to be bottled and neutralized?

I want to modernize this refrigerator with a non-toxic system, most likely out of a modern dorm refrigerator. A quick Google search of "monitor top conversion" should bring up some results - one at antique vintage appliances and another at an HVAC-R forum that provide examples of what people have done.

Thanks!

Joe

[Brian_UK]

No, I don't think that there is a 'safe purge to atmosphere' with this product.

You need to contact your local environmental agency to establish what is required to dispose of this hazardous waste.

Sometimes classified as extremely hazardous, anyway read up on the MSDS details here...

http://www.chemtradelogistics.com/MS...de-English.pdf

[NoNickName]

The most abundant gas typically released into the atmosphere from volcanic systems is water vapor (H2O), followed by carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
SO2 is released from volcanoes in quantity varying from 80 to 290 millions of tons per year.
4 pounds more or less would not make any difference.

[old gas bottle]

i,am thinking in its concentrated form you need to take extreem care here,i relised some in the early seventies by mistake,it will definatley take your breath in a very unpleasant way and anyone with breathing difficulties,asthma etc,it could be fatal..when i did it a lady walking up the street about keeled over as it traveled in a cloud streight into her,! engineers of the day would vent it through a long coil of soft copper rolled out to a open space or field etc.

seek advise first.

[B G Scott]

Well I am old enough to have done this many times.
When we had large systems we would pump them down and any gas not contained in the receiver was discharged into water, often an open drain, ( don't think the environment police will let you do that now).
It will not avoid the possibility of you inhaling some of the stuff and trust me you will never forget it.
We were all issued with WW2 gas masks to work on this stuff and needed it, however even the gas masks did not stop the effects getting to you.
A tip from the old days, if you do inhale SO2 drink copious quantities of milk, it is the only way to stop the
after effects.
Just to reiterate discharge the gas into plenty of water and keep well clear whilst you do it.

[NoNickName]

Yes, one thing to know is that SO2 binds with H2O to form H2SO3 (sulfuric acid), which can be diluted indefinitely into water itself.

[pwned]

You could scrub it with water. 9.4g dissolves in 100ml of water to saturation, so for 4 lbs will saturate about 40 lbs or about 5 gallons of water. You don't want to bring it to saturation though as its exothermic.

I'd say, dissolve into 55 gallon drum full of water using aquarium aerator piece. Tap into refrigerant using a piercing valve. You may want to include a check valve, so at the end, the system doesn't suck water in.