Pickle liquor

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Pickle liquor is an acid solution used to descale or clean steel in various steelmaking processes. Typically, the acids employed in the pickling of steel are hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids or combinations thereof. When the solution becomes spent, pickle liquor is considered a hazardous waste by EPA.

Through the late 1980's, spent pickle liquor was traditionally land disposed by steel manufacturers after lime neutralization. The lime neutralization process raised the pH of the spent acid and made heavy metals in the sludge less likely to leach into the environment. Today however, the majority of spent pickle liquor is recycled or regenerated onsite by steel manufacturers.

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