An idea was born. We put it in the back of a pickup truck one Friday afternoon and drove it to the clinic. The two installed it during a weekend and were back at the institute in Bethesda in time for work on Monday. Amalgam is the alloys of mercury and silver from fillings. Wastewater suctioned during dental procedures goes into the tank at the end of each day and sits overnight.
Debris travels through a long sedimentation column to settle on the bottom of the tank.
Clear water is decanted off the top and released into local sanitary sewers. Amalgam particles are recycled. We were called 'the village idiots' for wanting to try something as simplistic as letting the mercury settle overnight, said Roddy. Their prototype has operated successfully for more than four years and is now patented. Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md. 20889-5607.