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Originally Posted by RedRiver
Lead generates more heat in the tank
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Could you please quantify this? Let's say a 10 gallon 1'x2' well insulated (assume no temperature difference due to environment) tank, anodize 100 in² at 6 a/ft² to 1 mil. What would be the temperature differential between lead cathodes and aluminum cathodes - 1°, 5°, 10°? Me and heat are having a big fight these days, so if it's going to be a significant difference I would consider switching - but actually, it's initial tank temp that's giving me fits; I don't seem to experience any significant rise over the course of the run.
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Originally Posted by RedRiver
leeches lead into the water producing hazardous waste
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It's not waste until you're finished with it and trying to get rid of it, which isn't going to happen until you've anodized several hundred square feet. I considered my tank "hazardous waste" the moment I poured sulfuric acid into it - even if I neutralized it I wouldn't pour it down the sink or toss it in the alley. With or without lead it will go to a hazardous waste facility once it's got too much dissolved aluminum to be useful. It would seem to me that it would be cheap and easy to reclaim the lead. They'll either reclaim the metals or dispose of them safely, so I'm not seeing how this is an issue.
I'm neither a chemical nor environmental engineer, so 'head-on-backwards' is a definite possibility...