There has been a BNSF derailment in Raymond MN. A manifest train with tank cars carrying ethanol caught fire. There is a 1/2 mile evacuation zone in effect. Here is the link from CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/us/raymond-minnesota-train-derailment/index.html
Railroads don't have exclusivity on accidents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCewtAcJd7Y
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It was reported on the noon news here in the Twin Cities that local people were allowed back to their homes. Despite the rather spectacular flames, it appears there is no problem anticipated with air or water/land contamination.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/train-derailment-causes-evacuation-in-western-minnesota-town-of-raymond/
No there should be no pollution problems since it is alcohol that is burning. Alcohol will completly burn off with no pollutants. Luckily that is what caught fire. Still a mess to clean up.
caldreamer No there should be no pollution problems since it is alcohol that is burning. Alcohol will completly burn off with no pollutants. Luckily that is what caught fire. Still a mess to clean up.
If it's denatured, I believe there's a little gasoline in it (otherwise it would basically be vodka). But there's not enough to really be a problem, and it'll burn off with the alcohol anyhow.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I believe the standard denaturant for 'fuel alcohol' stock is hexane, because it is difficult to separate from the ethanol by distillation.
Nonbeverage alcohol often has a 'bitterant' added to make it unpalatable, but I have not studied what might happen with a large volume of uncontrolled ignition.
The reports that I've said the barge was carrying methanol, which would be bad news if it got dumped in the river. OTOH, it would be diluted rather rapidly.
I was wondering when someone was going to bring up the barge problems.
Erik_MagThe reports that I've said the barge was carrying methanol, which would be bad news if it got dumped in the river. OTOH, it would be diluted rather rapidly. I was wondering when someone was going to bring up the barge problems.
Commercial transportation of products and bulk commodities are subject to accidental happenings no matter the mode of transportation - road, rail, water, air, pipeline. This being a railroad forum that is where we are focused; that being said all the other modes have major issues from time to time - from our jaundiced viewpoint most of the happenings in other modes get lost in the cacophony of news worthy happenings we are bombarded with from media outlets.
BaltACD Erik_Mag The reports that I've said the barge was carrying methanol, which would be bad news if it got dumped in the river. OTOH, it would be diluted rather rapidly. I was wondering when someone was going to bring up the barge problems. Commercial transportation of products and bulk commodities are subject to accidental happenings no matter the mode of transportation - road, rail, water, air, pipeline. This being a railroad forum that is where we are focused; that being said all the other modes have major issues from time to time - from our jaundiced viewpoint most of the happenings in other modes get lost in the cacophony of news worthy happenings we are bombarded with from media outlets.
Erik_Mag The reports that I've said the barge was carrying methanol, which would be bad news if it got dumped in the river. OTOH, it would be diluted rather rapidly. I was wondering when someone was going to bring up the barge problems.
Don't forget accidents at chemical plants too. There was a vinyl chloride explosion at a plastics plant in Illiopolis, IL back in 2004 that has a lot of parallels to the controlled releases at East Palestine: https://www.csb.gov/formosa-plastics-vinyl-chloride-explosion/
I was tasked to map the track of smoke plume after the explosion and subsequent fire. This information was used to send out field personnel to do soil testing. Dioxins were found in the surrounding farm fields.
ns145 BaltACD Erik_Mag The reports that I've said the barge was carrying methanol, which would be bad news if it got dumped in the river. OTOH, it would be diluted rather rapidly. I was wondering when someone was going to bring up the barge problems. Commercial transportation of products and bulk commodities are subject to accidental happenings no matter the mode of transportation - road, rail, water, air, pipeline. This being a railroad forum that is where we are focused; that being said all the other modes have major issues from time to time - from our jaundiced viewpoint most of the happenings in other modes get lost in the cacophony of news worthy happenings we are bombarded with from media outlets. Don't forget accidents at chemical plants too. There was a vinyl chloride explosion at a plastics plant in Illiopolis, IL back in 2004 that has a lot of parallels to the controlled releases at East Palestine: https://www.csb.gov/formosa-plastics-vinyl-chloride-explosion/ I was tasked to map the track of smoke plume after the explosion and subsequent fire. This information was used to send out field personnel to do soil testing. Dioxins were found in the surrounding farm fields.
Don't overlook the Union Carbide disaster at Bopal, India back in 1984 that killed over 3700 people and injured more than half a million.
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