April 18, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

From the Associated Press
April 18, 2007

BEIJING — About 140 schoolchildren and teachers were hospitalized after sulfur dioxide was discharged by a chemical plant in southern China, state media reported Tuesday.

The plant, which produces chemical fertilizers in the county of Xifeng in Guizhou province, emitted a “huge amount” of sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas, into the atmosphere Monday, the New China News Agency said, citing a local official.

Five teachers and 135 students from two primary schools and a middle school reported respiratory problems as a result of the fumes and were taken to a hospital, the news agency quoted the county’s executive deputy head, Huang Yonghui, as saying. (Source)

Posted in Pollution: Health Issues, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

April 18, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

CNW Group

OTTAWA, April 18 /CNW/ - Canada’s largest shipper of sulphur is very pleased that the Federal Government, with the support of the Liberal opposition, has taken quick and decisive action to end to the ongoing rail service disruptions at CN by passing back-to-work legislation.

“I’m very pleased that the federal government and Parliament have taken quick action to protect jobs, consumers, the environment and the economy in Western Canada,” said Lorne Friberg, President and CEO of Sultran. “The service disruptions at CN were already hurting sulphur producers still recovering from the February strike.”

The back-to-work legislation helps ensure that natural gas plants in Western Canada will not have to cut back or stop production due to a lack of sulphur storage capacity. The legislation will also permit the Canadian sulphur industry to continue to ship sulphur uninterrupted to its overseas customers….(Full Story — off-site)

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April 16, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

gibfocus

The Cepsa refinery in the San Roque area was at the centre of further controversy after a major leak of sulphur was registered.

The incident took place between seven and eight on Saturday evening when a technical fault was experienced at the petro-chemical plant causing a high level of Sulphur dioxide to be released.

Although the company has claimed that there was no risk to the surrounding population, over 32 emergency calls were received by the Spanish 112 emergency services, with reports of over 2,000 residents in the area affected by the high level contamination.

The incident saw a larger than normal release of smoke, as well as an increase in the smells surrounding the plants, causing some discomfort to residents in the area. (Source; More)
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Note by folc.ca: A larger than normal release of smoke and toxic gases due to excessive flaring for several hours was also experienced 2007 03 30 by one the refineries east of Fort Saskatchewan. That incident did not make the news, perhaps because the smoke and gases produced by that incident drifted towards Bruderheim and Lamont, not towards Fort Saskatchewan. See Photos.

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April 12, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

CNW GroupOTTAWA, April 12 /CNW/ - The representative of more than 20 producers and shippers of sulphur in Western Canada is calling on all federal parties to protect jobs, health and safety and the environment, by immediately passing legislation that will bring a speedy end to the current CN rail labour disruptions….

Friberg explained that if Sulphur can’t be transported by rail, the only options are to store the product on-site at plants or shut down oil and gas production. “From an environmental, safety or economic perspective, neither is a sustainable solution. It’s essential that Parliament act now,” he says….

Continued disruptions will force plants to store sulphur on-site as formed product or in storage blocks. As plants reach critical inventory levels, sulphur production will have to be significantly curtailed, which could result in a serious decrease (or elimination) of natural gas production….(Full Story)

Posted in Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur Logistics, Sulphur-Related Construction Costs | Print | No Comments »

April 5, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan

SINGAPORE: Oil tanker owners are urging the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to lay out a plan by next year for switching all ship engines to use diesel instead of dirty but cheap fuel oil, an industry group said on Wednesday.

As governments worldwide attempt to curb pollution by putting limits on sulphur, the shipping industry which contributes up to 7 percent of airborne sulphur emissions faces a potentially confusing array of disparate national regulations….(Full Story)

Posted in Emission Incidents & Issues, Ultra-Low-Sulphur Diesel, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

April 5, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

Money Talks

The Moscow Times
Thursday, April 5, 2007. Issue 3630. Page 5.

Kazakhs Drop Chevron Tengiz Probe
Reuters

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Kazakhstan’s Ecology Ministry said Wednesday that it had dropped claims against the Chevron-led firms operating a large oil field after the group pledged $300 million per year for environmental protection.

TengizChevroil, or TCO, produces one-fifth of the country’s oil output from the huge Tengiz oil field in western Kazakhstan but has periodically faced accusations from the government over its environmental record. (Full Story — requires subscription; more on Chevron Tengiz oil field)
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asia.yahoo.com
Wednesday April 4, 11:47 PM

Kazakh ecology ministry drops Chevron Tengiz probe

ASTANA, April 4 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s Ecology Ministry said on Wednesday it had dropped claims against the Chevron-led firms operating a large oilfield after the group pledged up to $300 million a year for environmental protection….

Iskakov said the ministry’s change of heart came after pledges of increased environmental spending from TCO.

“Our complaint is that for every tonne of oil that they produce they spend just 1.3 tenge (1 U.S. cent),” he said. (Full Story; more on Chevron Tengiz oil field)

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April 5, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

BBC News

…To blame are the clusters of huge chimneys at three smelting plants which surround Norilsk.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the chimneys pump out a toxic cocktail of pollutants which the company responsible openly admits is mostly sulphur dioxide.

Once in the atmosphere this gas turns into acid rain….

According to figures provided by the company, the total amount of sulphur dioxide produced by all three plants is almost two million tons a year….(Full Story)

Posted in Acid Rain, Heavy-Metal Poisoning & Pollution, Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »

April 4, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

The Standard (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong ship owners are pushing for a global switch to cleaner-burning distillates from high-sulfur marine fuels to reduce pollution and minimize engine damage, a top industry official said Tuesday….

“We have a great opportunity to get out of burning dirty fuel - a switch to distillates with a 1 percent sulfur cap will help simplify and clean up our engine rooms,” Bowring said.

More than 90 percent of the world’s trading fleet runs on high-sulfur residual fuels, which cause significant pollution….(Full Story)

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Note by folc.ca:
A one-percent sulphur cap would cut the sulphur content in marine diesel to be no higher than about half of what it currently is, but that would still keep the sulphur content of marine diesel fuel to be 667 times higher than that in diesel fuel used for highway traffic in North America. One should be forgiven for believing that bunker fuel is used as a convenient means to dispose of sulphur and to pollute the environment in the process of sulphur dispersion by means of emitting massive amounts of sulphur-dioxide into the atmosphere.

Posted in Bunker Fuel, Emission Incidents & Issues | Print | No Comments »

April 4, 2007 by Walter Schneider.

The Pensacola News Journal

Gulf Power puts up $500 million for cleaner air

CRIST - Described as its largest environmental project, Gulf Power revealed plans Tuesday to install a $500 million scrubber to remove nearly all sulfur dioxides generated by its Crist Plant….

Hutchinson said the half- billion-dollar cost of the scrubber’s installation will be recovered through a rate increase, but he would not speculate on the impact it will have on the average residential or commercial customer….(Full Story)

Posted in Emission Incidents & Issues, Sulphur-Related Construction Costs, Sulphur-Dioxide | Print | No Comments »