Dichromatometry: A proposal for the treatment and management of waste in the practice of analytical chemistry.
Dichromatometry, Waste, Teaching, Environment
At the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry of UFRRJ, two practices of quantitative analytical chemistry draw attention due to the toxicity of the generated residues: dichromatometry and permanganimetry. In order to determine the iron content in aqueous solutions, the two titrimetric methods require heavy metals in their reactions, such as manganese, chromium, mercury, tin and the iron itself from the sample. These metals are known to be bioaccumulative and may have carcinogenic characteristics. Thus, it is essential not to discard this waste in the sewage system, adopting management measures and, if possible, treatment of the generated waste. In this work, proposals are presented for the recovery of the dichromate used, in addition to the iron present in the samples and manganese from potassium permanganate. The recovered dichromate was in a concentration ten times more diluted than the one used in the practical classes. However, the economic, environmental and educational viability guarantee the success of the methods.