At 01:04 AM 10/15/2012, David Roberson wrote:
It will be interesting to see how well the stainless steel holds
up. I tried a stainless steel spoon as an electrode and it worked
fairly well but eventually began to rust. Perhaps the quality of
steel makes a difference.
316L stainless steel is an alloy optimized for corrosion resistance.
In some reports, 316L steel is only surpassed by platinum for
electrolytic anodes.
However, stainless steel contains chromium, so anyone contemplating
using stainless steel for electrolytic anodes -- and that would
include stainless steel spoons -- should Google "stainless steel
electrolysis danger" or the like, and take precautions.
The stainless steel will slowly dissolve, resulting, it has been
claimed, in a highly toxic form of chromium in the electrolyte. If
so, if the concentration of hexavalent chromium is high enough, the
electrolyte would need to be treated as toxic waste. As well, with
active electrolysis, there could be some level of chromium contained
in mist. It is possible to keep misting low, and one should not
breathe the mist from an electrolytic cell, in general, unless the
electrolyte is known to be free of toxic contaminants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexavalent_chromium
Unless this issue is clearly resolved, the electrolyte should not
simply be dumped in drains or on the ground. There is some level of
hysterical reaction to the possibility of hexavalent chromium; the
amount from a short length of anode would be small; but I have not
thoroughly investigated this. Stainless steel is obviously a common
product, and 316L steel is recommended for food and surgical
implants. Most of the concern about hexavalent chromium wrt stainless
steel is over the welding of stainless steel, which causes airborne
chromium, which is quite dangerous.
To see a bit of the other side,
http://aquauto.com/content/dispose-old-liquid Unfortunately, the
exchange did not report the result of an EPA inquiry.
I have stainless steel (316L) *yarn*. (This is 12 micron fibers
twisted into a singles yarn and then countertwisted into a doubles
yarn.) This would provide a lot of surface area.... But I've never
used it for an anode. I sell this as part of a yarn and fiber
business.... I could easily supply this. It's expensive by the
kilogram, like $260, but you'd only need a little. If someone wants
to try it, email me.
