VCE Chemistry Update Program

1. VCE Chemistry Update Program

2. Waste Management, Health and Safety in the Chemical Industry Mr Doug Rash Manager, Product Stewardship, Safety and Buildings School of Chemistry doug.rash@sci.monash.edu.au

3. The Chemical Industry The chemical industry world wide has been improving it’s image and impact during the last 20 – 30 years through the implementation of Responsible Care. This initiative focuses on improving performance, communication and accountability in relation to health, safety and environment and processes. (There is much more transparency now).

4. Waste Management Protecting human health and the environment (reduce and reuse). Tailoring management and operational practices to risks. Water management issues have become much more important in the chemical industry.

5. Health and Safety Issues Protecting the health of workers and others is paramount. Better understanding the properties of the chemicals manufactured and the processes are the key to this. Large sites like that of CSBP in Western Australia are Major Hazard Facilities and are highly regulated (remember Longford) as the produce large quantities of Ammonia, Nitric acid and ammonium nitrate.

7. Health and Safety Issues Risk Management plays a very important role in the operations of such a facility. Identifying and grading Hazards and Risks is fundamental to risk management.

9. Some key Industrial Chemicals Ammonia Nitric Acid Sulphuric acid Ethylene

10. Ammonia Understanding the properties of chemicals helps us understand the related Health, Safety and Environmental issues, let alone potential uses. (Refer to MSDS’s etc) Ammonia (anhydrous) is a toxic gas that is quite compressible (hence it’s use in refrigeration), it is also flammable at certain concentrations in air.

11. Ammonia Ammonium fertilizers (Nitrate, Sulfate and Phosphate) are produced from this in addition to Urea an Sodium Cyanide. In addition to these, Ammonia can be directly injected into the soil for this purpose.

12. Ammonia manufacturing plants CSBP in Kwinana Western Australia are manufacturers of Ammonia, Nitric Acid, Ammonium Nitrate and other products. Plants such as this often integrate activities with adjacent facilities and infrastructure.

13. Ammonia production Hydrogen feedstock is generated from natural gas by steam reforming and Nitrogen liquefied from the air. The abundance of sources of natural gas such as the Middle East and our North West Shelf make these areas suitable for large economic Ammonia plants to be established.

14. CSBP Kwinana The Ammonia plant has been upgraded and new technology introduced. E.g. The CO2 removal used to be carried out by a process that included using Arsenic as a corrosion inhibitor. Improved processing using Methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) is now used and the previously used more hazardous material is eliminated.

15. CSBP Kwinana Residual (some 70,000 tonnes/annum) of pure CO2 (previously discharged to atmosphere as a waste gas), is now “sequestered” into the Caustic residue stream from a neighbour (Alcoa). This improves the handling properties of the red mud waste, reduces the hazard and solves a waste issue experienced by different companies in the same area.

16. CSBP Kwinana Tertiary treated waste water from the region is now used within the cooling towers and this assists with waste management issues in the broader area. Waste water often passes through designed wetlands and subsequently to ocean outfalls rather than directly into more sensitive areas such as Cockburn Sound.

17. Nitric acid The production of Nitric acid from Ammonia is highly exothermic, providing sufficient captured heat for the plant/s to generate power to operate and the site to become a net exporter of energy. This is an illustration of good waste management.

18. N2O emissions During the manufacture of Nitric acid from ammonia, small amounts of Nitrous oxide is generated and as this is a significant greenhouse gas, it is being more carefully considered in relation to improving efficiency of operation and other related issues.

19. Phosphate Hill Mine (Qld) This ammonium phosphate fertilizer complex integrates most operations on the one site with only sulfuric acid being “imported” from Mount Isa from where this is generated from the sulfur dioxide emissions from the copper smelters. This has reduced both costs (e.g. transport between facilities) and helped with an emissions issue at Mt Isa.

20. Environment Continuous improvements are being made in relation to emissions due to pressures from regulators and expectations from the community at large. Water management is becoming a very significant factor in industrial plants.

22. Green Chemistry Principles Prevention Atom Economy Less Hazardous Chemical Synthesis Designing Safer chemicals Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries Design for Energy Efficiency Use of Renewable Feedstock's Reduce Derivatives Catalysis Design for Degradation Real-time analysis for Pollution Prevention Inherently Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention

23. Acknowledgements Genevieve Mannin @ CSBP Phil Andrews and Chris Dwyer