mercredi 4 mars 2015

0

Health And Environment Risks Of Ethanol Transport

  • mercredi 4 mars 2015
  • 00fees
  • Share
  • By Leslie Ball


    Producing ethanol is rapidly increasing. In two thousand alone, there had been two billion gallons distributed and in two thousand eight, it reached to nine billion gallons. This increase happened in less than ten years. Authorities expect that this increase will triple by the year two thousand twenty two.

    The production of gases and fuels can be risky to the health and the environment if not processed meticulously. Ethanol transport may also prove to be risky if there are accidental leaks, explosions, spills, and fires during the process. These are transported through tanker trucks, barges, and rail tanks. Other kinds of fuel like petroleum already have pipelines through which they are transported from one place to another. Pipelines still cannot support the level of chemical contents of bioethanol.

    One hundred percent ethanol can be produced. It can be as is or treated as an additive to fuels like gasoline. Although it is known to have good engine effects, it can pose a threat. As the two compounds combine, they are denatured. They can go to the atmosphere and mix with water vapor or directly mix with ground water. This can cause pollution especially to places where trails and barges pass containing these fuels pass by as in the community of Denmark, TN.

    No matter how sealed a container or trailer is that contains the biofluel, the seal can still be degraded because of the tendency of the mixed compounds to attract water from the atmosphere. The combined gases can burn the skin and the victim may not be warned of its presence because it can hardly be seen by the naked eye. The two different fuels have a lot of differences in their characteristics concerning conductivity, density, boiling point, and solubility.

    The raw product used in this production is corn. It has to be grown properly so that the resulting product will also have good properties fit for fueling vehicles. Transporting the corn to the production centers must be done carefully. The end product must be contained in trailers and properly sealed containers or else, there will be high risks of contamination and leakage.

    Pollution is an apparent environmental risk. It can add to the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Hence, storage, dispensing, and mixing of the compounds must be done very carefully. An unlikely explosion may occur and there had been recorded incidents regarding this.

    Transporting these through the train is one of the most recommended ways. But many are still wary of this because it can still pose a threat to public safety, especially in places where the population is really dense. A lot of people may not be aware but there may already be some of these gaseous particles mixed with oxygen affecting normal breathing.

    There are government agencies that issue protection protocols to storage tanks. They use a detection technology to monitor the leaks and contamination in the storage material. However, this does not fully support biofuels. Hence, there is little known technology to lessen the negative environmental and health effects of ethanol.

    According to reports, petroleum has lesser damage than that of ethanol and gasoline combined. The chemical combination can cause widespread destruction because it can stay longer in the atmosphere and in water, it is more toxic, and it is more pollutant. Its carcinogenic characteristic makes it survive in air and water for longer periods than petroleum and other known commercial gases and fuels. Thus, the government must do more action regarding this.




    About the Author:



    0 Responses to “Health And Environment Risks Of Ethanol Transport”

    Enregistrer un commentaire

    Trending

    Subscribe