UK: The Environment Agency has approved plans to extend an 18-month trial burning of petcoke by a further six months, to June, 2007.

Selby District Council’s environment board met representatives from Drax and the Environment Agency on Thursday to discuss the trials.

They were commissioned last June to look at the environmental effects of burning petroleum coke - a by-product of the American petrochemical industry.

Green campaigners have dubbed petcoke the “fuel from hell” due to its high sulphur content, which causes acid rain. It also contains the heavy metal nickel, which is carcinogenic, and the irritant vanadium….([1] Full Story (off-site)