Detroit's mountains of petroleum coke are 'dirtier than the dirtiest fuel'

[Judi Lynn]

Detroit's mountains of petroleum coke are 'dirtier than the dirtiest fuel'

Byproduct of tar sands production is piling up in Detroit, and environmentalists fear Keystone XL pipeline will bring more

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Friday 7 June 2013 17.23 EDT


[font size=1]
This particular pile of pet-coke is owned by Koch Carbon, which is controlled
by the Koch brothers
Photograph: James Fassinger/For the Guardian[/font]

It was the dirty secret of Alberta's tar sands – until the black mountain of petroleum coke on the banks of the Detroit River grew to occupy an entire city block three storeys high.

Now it could become a familiar feature at storage yards and water fronts across the country as the oil industry in the US and Canada struggles to deal with a glut of waste from Alberta's tar sands production.

"This is dirtier than the dirtiest fuel," Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who represents the area where the pet-coke mountain has been accumulating, told the Guardian.

Peters has been pressing for full exposure of the potential health and environmental risks associated with petroleum coke, a byproduct of tar sands production.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/07/detroit-petroleum-coke-dirty-keystone

[Not Sure]

1. This stuff is also known colloquially as high sulfur coal

It isn't coal, but it can be burned like coal to generate energy for producing cement or for producing electricity. I regularly see trains of this material headed for international interchange at Eagle Pass, Texas.

[Socialistlemur]

2. The stuff is petcoke, not high sulfur coal

The material in question isn't coal. It's a byproduct of the treatment of heavy crudes.

[Not Sure]

3. Yes, I know exactly what it is

It is often burned as a fuel for generating electricity or for producing cement in Mexico, so when we haul it in unit trains, it may be referred to as "high sulfur coal" either as a euphemism or out of ignorance for what it really is. I know it's petroleum coke and anyone who knows what that is can spot it in the railcars. It's a very distinctive looking material.