Bacon's Rebellion

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Albemarle Corp. Chases Mercury-Removal Business

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by

James A. Bacon
in

There are many, many environmental concerns associated with the use of coal as a fuel for electrical power plants. One of the most intractable has been the emission of mercury, a highly toxic chemical that tends to concentrate in the food chain.

Now Albemarle Corp., a Richmond-headquartered manufacturer of specialty chemicals, has signed a letter of intent to acquire Ohio-based Sorbent Technologies Corporation, a full-service power plant mercury control provider. The $20 million deal combines Sorbent’s mercury-control solutions, which utilize bromine, with Albemarle’s $2.4 billion in revenues, its expertise in bromine manufacturing, and its track record in commercializing new specialty chemical products. (Read the press release.)

Says Albemarle CEO Mark C. Rohr: “Escalating energy demands and the global call for environmentally sound power generation have converged to present tremendous opportunity for Albemarle’s leading bromine chemistry, as utilities and industrial plants seek cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions.”

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  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Great.

    “The corrosive property of bromine is considered a major hazard by the United States Department of Transportation.

    Bromine is capable of dissolving metals and non-metals and spontaneously combines with aluminum, titanium, copper, phosphorus, arsenic, gold and antimony.

    As an oxidizer, bromine will react with inorganic matter, such as wood or sawdust; tremendous heat is produced increasing the risk of combustion following bromine spills.”

    Let’s have a few hundred thousand tons of that stuff around, to protect us from mercury.

  2. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    Bromide is a hazardous chemical.

    So is Chlorine and Nuclear Waste and scores of other chemicals transported by truck and rail across the country.

    Chlorine, for example, is used in great quantity in this country to disinfect wastewater.

    Can it be handled safely? Well sure.. as safe as other hazardous chemicals are or are not.

    Mercury Waste from Power plants, on the other hand.. once released into the environment is a very serious problem because in accumulates in the environment and gets into the food chain and is persistent … does not break down.

    Mercury harms fish and other wildlife and also pregnant women and kids…

    We all put mercury into the environment every time we turn on a light switch.

    If bromide – a chemical – can be used to help reduce mercury emissions,depending on what is done with the waste…. it could be better than what we are doing right now.

    Would storing or re-processing bromide/mercury be any worse?

    If you GOOGLE .. this appears to be a new process… but unless one can show how bromide.. as a chemical that needs to be transported is any more harmful than dozens of other chemicals .. like chlorine..

    so is the concern that bromide is worse than other hazardous chemicals that are transported?

    It does not appear to be.

    I see this a a potentially very good thing…

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