Disposal of Waste Effluents from Motion-Picture Film Processing

Lloyd E. West

The chemicals used in motion-picture film processing are evaluated in terms of typical sewer code and stream standard requirements. Methods are suggested for the reducing of the discharge of wastes, for example by the regeneration of bleach, the recovery of silver, and the use of squeegees. The use of activated-sludge treatment for processing wastes is recommended to reduce the oxygen-demanding chemicals to an acceptable level. Information is cited for estimating the processing waste load in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand. Development work on the use of reverse osmosis to recover and reuse the chemicals in the bleach and fixer washes has been described although the practical application of this approach cannot yet be recommended. The minimal amounts of volatile chemicals used in processing are not expected to produce significant air pollution.

Print ISSN
Published
1970-09
Content type
Original Research
DOI
10.5594/J16679