TEXAS TARGETS FERTILIZER SAFETY LEGISLATION: Lawmakers move to regulate ammonium nitrate storage An April 2013 explosion at a fertilizer storage depot devastated West, Texas.
T
HE TEXAS LEGISLATURE appears to be headed
toward passage of the first legislation to tighten the state’s regulation of ammonium nitrate since a massive and deadly explosion at a fertilizer storage facility near Waco two years ago. The Texas House of Representatives gave preliminary approval on May 1 to legislation (H.B. 942) that would strengthen rules for storing ammonium nitrate, a compound that farmers use as fertilizer. It is considered safe when stored properly but can explode at high temperatures or when it reacts with other substances. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kyle Kacal, a Republican whose district includes the town of West, where the blast on April 17, 2013, killed 15 and injured more than 200. Investigators determined that
BIOBASED ASSETS CHANGE HANDS SWEET DEALS: Renmatix, Cargill
advance with technology from Mascoma, OPX Bio
A
S TWO PIONEER biobased fuel and chemical
firms wind down, their assets and capabilities are getting another life under new owners. Cellulosic sugar start-up Renmatix has bought a processing facility in Rome, N.Y., from biofuels firm Mascoma, and agribusiness giant Cargill has purchased the microbial engineering platform of biobased chemicals developer OPX Biotechnologies. Renmatix will use the Rome facility, which was designed to pretreat wood chips using steam, to speed up development of its system for making sugar from biomass. It’s equipment that Renmatix would otherwise have had to build itself, explains Chief Executive Officer Mike Hamilton. The company has hired RENMATIX (BOTH)
A view inside Renmatix’s new facility in Rome, N.Y.
The plant in Rome, N.Y., that Renmatix acquired from Mascoma. CEN.ACS.ORG
4
ammonium nitrate detonated after a fire at the West Fertilizer Co. engulfed a warehouse that stored approximately 30 tons of the chemical in wooden bins. The legislation would give local fire marshals the authority to inspect facilities and order owners to make changes if any dangerous conditions are found that could cause a fire or explosion. The proposal would require that ammonium nitrate be stored at least 30 feet away from combustible materials. In addition, the bill would require that facilities report the storage of hazardous chemicals to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which would make this information available to the public. Before it becomes law, the measure must get a final vote in the House, go to the state Senate for consideration, and be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for his signature. The Texas Legislature, which meets for only 140 days every two years, is scheduled to adjourn on June 1. “With a month still left in session, there’s plenty of time to make it to final passage,” says Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, an advocacy organization. “As long as there isn’t some new industry opposition, I’m optimistic that it will ultimately become law in Texas.” Several other state legislative proposals—including one that would require companies storing ammonium nitrate to carry liability insurance—have stalled because of concerns raised by agribusiness.—GLENN HESS
12 full-time staffers from the local area to run the plant. Renmatix plans to ship processed solids, which include C5 sugars from hemicellulose plus cellulose and lignin components, to its facility in Kennesaw, Ga. That’s where a second stage of processing will extract C6 sugars from the wood’s cellulose using supercritical water. Hamilton says the facility will help the firm demonstrate that its sugar production process yields a costcompetitive raw material for fuels and chemicals even with today’s low oil and gas prices. Then, he says, partners including energy company Total, chemical maker BASF, and forest products firm UPM will license the technology to build their own biorefineries. Mascoma started life with ambitions to create yeast that could ferment biomass into ethanol. In 2011, it made plans with Valero Energy to build a commercial ethanol facility, but Valero pulled out two years later. Mascoma then turned to selling its modified yeast to the corn ethanol industry. Last year, the yeast operation was sold to its partner in that business, Canada’s Lallemand. Cargill, meanwhile, will boost its biobased products business with its acquisition of OPX Bio’s engineered microbes. Cargill is in a partnership with Novozymes to make biobased acrylic acid and plans to use the OPX Bio platform to make chemicals for end markets such as lubricants, detergents, and plastics. In recent years, OPX Bio worked with partners including Dow Chemical and Evonik Industries on biobased routes to acrylic acid and other chemicals. After the sale to Cargill, it will wind down.—MELODY BOMGARDNER
MAY 11, 2015
CHEMICAL SAFETY & HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD
NEWS OF THE WEEK
