If formaldehyde has been exposed for 1/2 days for the purpose of fumigating a mushroom farm, how should it properly be disposed? Any negative impact if it is disposed inside farm house wash hand basin???
It's a hazardous waste, do not dump it down the drain. Be careful in handling and avoid breathing in vapors. Pour back in original containers if possible. If there are spills, chemicals can often be absorbed by kitty litter, and that would be collected and dispose of as a hazardous material. In septic systems, it may kill all the bacteria and in streams, kill aquatic insects, fish, etc. If you get on Internet, I am sure it may have other directions. Improper disposal in most counties would be a legal violation subject to punishment. It likely still very toxic to most organisms.
Formaldehyde can be oxidised to carbon dioxide under acid conditions by hydrogen peroxide. Note that hydrogen gas will be produced in the process if conditions are alkaline and the formaldehyde will not be mineralised.
Considering toxic effect of this chemical, it is of great importance to follow the manufacturer's mode of disposal. However, if this is produced locally then it could be precipitated again to possibly remove the toxic component for its re-use.
After all, I know this is a really late entry here....I just recently found this post with a really interesting answer by Alan P. Newman (cf. also perhaps another old Q/A thread: : https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_you_neutralize_formaldehyde? ) What would have been interesting to know from Ms/Mrs Olutayo Adedokun is the concentration and "application" of FA (in hydrous solution?, as vapo(u)r generated from PFA(=Paraformaldehyde). Knowing these parameters would have helped a lot in defining a practical and safe disposal solution.
Here is a helpful link, complete with concentrations and costs: http://www.h2o2.com/industrial/applications.aspx?pid=109&name=Formaldehyde-Oxidation
Dear Joe, this is really a very straight technical paper for the / a controlled deactivation of otherwise hazardous chemical solutions used in many labs.
Thank you for pointing to this Technical Data Sheet from
USP Technologies: 1375 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300 N., Atlanta, GA 30309.
For my part (if I contributed anything which was helpful):
Dear (Ms/Mrs) Olutayo (Adedokun), you're welcome!