STUDY OF THE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE OBTAINMENT OF SILVER NITRATE FROM ANALYTICAL WASTE

Silver is a noble and relatively rare metal found naturally in the earth's crust. This metal is widely used in the manufacture of various products from different segments, among them jewelry, coins, electronics, analytical reagents and the manufacture of sensitive films for photography and radiography. The large generation of waste and the concern about the contamination by inappropriate disposal of dangerous products has been one of the reasons for the study of the reuse of silver and other analytical residues. In this project, we sought to obtain silver nitrate from analytical waste generated in the laboratories. Five different synthetic routes were used to obtain the metallic silver, being the reduction by formaldehyde, glucose, fructose, food grade sugar and metallic zinc. The obtained silver nitrate was analyzed to calculate the yield and degree of purity, where it obtained results superior to 96% of purity, being possible to recycle wastes containing silver, besides reagents expired. The project presented being sustainable and cheap for application in educational institutions, reducing the volume of waste generated and promoting environmental awareness.