A foul-smelling \"white mist\" shrouds the residential areas in Zhijiang
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A foul-smelling \"white mist\" envelops the residential areas in Zhijiang — Three Gorges Evening News (http://ctdsb.cnhubei.com/html/sxwb/20071225/sxwb209747.html). The foul-smelling \"white mist\" has affected residents in Zhijiang, causing many to experience discomfort; environmental protection authorities have launched an investigation. According to Jingchu Net (Three Gorges Evening News), citizens on the streets are covering their noses. Photo by reporter Xia Liang (Reporter Yin Tian) Yesterday morning, thick fog covered the residential areas near the Hubei Fertilizer Branch of Sinopec Corporation on Yingbin Avenue in Zhijiang City. Strangely enough, this “fog” had a nauseating smell, and many residents felt dizzy and nauseous from it. “The air in the area around Hubei Fertilizer Factory is extremely foul, with an ammonia-like smell. ”At 4 p.m. yesterday, based on reports from several readers, the reporter went to the scene of the incident. At this time, white smoke was still rising into the sky above the factory area, and the sky in that vicinity also appeared darker than in other places. According to local residents, at around 9 a.m. that day, a large amount of \"white mist\" began to drift in from above the factory area; the mist carried a pungent odor as well. Residents say that standing in the “fog,” one can only see about 10 meters ahead. According to the residents, even though they closed the doors and windows and covered their noses, the smell still managed to get in. Residents who smelled this odor experienced dizziness and a feeling of pressure in their heads. The residents said that it was not until around 2 p.m. that day that the smell gradually dissipated. According to a kindergarten teacher who was about 1 kilometer away from the factory, a 5-year-old boy at the kindergarten experienced symptoms such as tearing eyes and chest tightness after smelling the odor; he returned to normal only when the smell faded. Residents say that throughout the month, they smell this odor two or three days a time, and it’s especially strong in winter. They said that usually the smell would appear after about 10 minutes and then disappear. But this time, not only was the smell strong, but it also lasted exceptionally long. To find out where this smell was coming from, the reporter went to the Hubei Fertilizer Branch plant to investigate. According to the factory, they are currently upgrading their production equipment. Since the new and old equipment still need time to work together smoothly, some steam, sulfur, and ammonia are emitted during the production trials; the smoke seen above the factory area is the result of this emission. It is said that there was fog in the Zhijiang River on that day; it’s possible that the steam emitted mixed with the fog. Additionally, the air pressure in the Zhijiang River was high, resulting in poor air circulation, which made it difficult for the emitted substances to disperse. This is why the residents continued to smell the foul odor for a long time. The factory stated that although inhaling excessive amounts of such substances is harmful to the body, the emissions on that day were normal ones resulting from production processes, and they met environmental standards; therefore, they would not cause any harm to the health of residents. At 6:30 p.m. yesterday, as the reporter left Zhijiang, the smell of ammonia reappeared in the air there. The environmental protection department in Zhijiang City has launched an investigation into this matter. Nose, but that smell still penetrates the nose. Residents who smelled this odor experienced dizziness and a feeling of pressure in their heads. The residents said that it was not until around 2 p.m. that day that the smell gradually dissipated. According to a kindergarten teacher who was about 1 kilometer away from the factory, a 5-year-old boy at the kindergarten experienced symptoms such as tearing eyes and chest tightness after smelling the odor; he returned to normal only when the smell faded. Residents say that throughout the month, they smell this odor two or three days a time, and it’s especially strong in winter. They said that usually the smell would appear after about 10 minutes and then disappear. But this time, not only was the smell strong, but it also lasted exceptionally long. To find out where this smell was coming from, the reporter went to the Hubei Fertilizer Branch plant to investigate. According to the factory, they are currently upgrading their production equipment. Since the new and old equipment still need time to work together smoothly, some steam, sulfur, and ammonia are emitted during the production trials; the smoke seen above the factory area is the result of this emission. It is said that there was fog in the Zhijiang River on that day; it’s possible that the steam emitted mixed with the fog. Additionally, the air pressure in the Zhijiang River was high, resulting in poor air circulation, which made it difficult for the emitted substances to disperse. This is why the residents continued to smell the foul odor for a long time. The factory stated that although inhaling excessive amounts of such substances is harmful to the body, the emissions on that day were normal ones resulting from production processes, and they met environmental standards; therefore, they would not cause any harm to the health of residents. At 6:30 p.m. yesterday, as the reporter left Zhijiang, the smell of ammonia reappeared in the air there. The environmental protection department in Zhijiang City has launched an investigation into this matter. ========================================================================== 1. “The emitted steam and mist mixing together” actually refers to the toxic mist formed at low altitudes under light winds and low pressure – a mixture of sulfur dioxide contained in the flue gases produced after the combustion of untreated process gas from the gasification furnace, along with steam and mist emitted from the cooling towers! 2. The emissions on that day were normal emissions during production, and they met environmental standards. Go try to fool the Japanese! The people who live in Zhijiang (including the cadres, workers, and their families from Hubei Fertilizer Factory who produce and live there as well), if things were normal, we certainly wouldn’t die in such a normal way! The problem isn’t that there’s no solution; the key is that no one takes this unprofitable matter seriously! This post was last edited by cuikk on 2007-12-28 01:43]
Here, we can smell various odors almost every day; the most common one is SO2. Gray sky, poison gas drifting. I hope the leaders of your organization will pay attention to this issue, resolve it, and do something to help make Zhijiang a more beautiful place.
The foul smell returned to Zhijiang, and residents continued to complain. The factory claimed that it would take time for the new and old equipment to work together properly before the smell could be eliminated — http://sxwb.cnhubei.com/sxwb/20071226/index.htm Report by our newspaper (Reporter Yin Tian): Following our previous reports, yesterday, residents living in the area around Sinopec Hubei Fertilizer Branch on Yingbin Avenue in Zhijiang City were once again affected by the foul smell. “After getting up today, it still smells bad here. ”Yesterday afternoon, in response to calls from several readers, the reporter went to Zhijiang again. At the entrance of the Hubei Fertilizer Branch plant, the reporter detected a strange and foul smell; many pedestrians on the street covered their noses as they hurried past. Residents living near the factory said that the foul smell spread in all directions with the wind, preventing them from opening doors and windows or taking deep breaths. An elderly person told the reporter that this foul smell significantly affected their quality of life, and they were worried whether it might have an impact on their health in the long run. They hope that the relevant authorities can find a solution to this problem as soon as possible, so that the unpleasant smell can disappear quickly. The management of Hubei Fertilizer Branch stated that the equipment responsible for the foul smell in the air on the 24th has been repaired. The unpleasant odor detected in the air on the 25th was caused by the adjustment period between the old and new equipment, as minor issues arose during the connection of the equipment. The factory claims that this constitutes normal emissions, and that the amount emitted on that day was much lower than the previous day. The factory also stated that the unpleasant odor does not occur when the equipment is operating normally, but its elimination will require time as the new and old equipment become better synchronized with each other. A relevant official from the Zhijiang City Environmental Protection Bureau said that when an unpleasant odor was detected in the air on the 24th, they carried out environmental monitoring, but the results of that monitoring have not yet been available. The reason for the foul smell in the air on the 24th has not yet been determined. The official stated that the foul smell detected in the air on the 24th cannot yet be determined to be normal emissions or an indication of some abnormality; no conclusion can be drawn until a thorough investigation is conducted. The official said it was impossible to determine when a conclusion could be reached. A official from the Yichang Environmental Protection Bureau said that prior to these two incidents of foul odors, the environmental protection department had received complaints from residents and had issued a notice requiring the factory to make corrections; it is still within the period for such corrections. This post was last edited by cuikk on 2007-12-29 16:35]
Sulfur does not solidify completely; if hydrogen sulfide is released into the atmosphere, it gives off an unpleasant egg-like smell that is hard to tolerate. When hydrogen sulfide is burned and released into the atmosphere, it produces sulfur dioxide gas, which is irritating and corrosive and can cause harm to people. It must be cured.
Agreed! At the current level of technology, the costs and benefits associated with sulfur curing are still quite significant, but one cannot avoid responsibility just because of short-term gains or losses.
As we develop the chemical industry, we must give top priority to environmental protection; otherwise, we will face natural retribution
They keep talking about environmental protection all day long, but it’s still the same – human lives are of utmost importance
It seems that the fertilizer factory does not pay enough attention to this area. In refineries, sulfur recovery units used to experience odor problems due to the presence of H2S remaining after acidic water stripping. Nowadays, odor control agents are added to carry out reaction control, which effectively solves the issues caused by small amounts of residual sulfur.