Beirut explosion caused by tons of ammonium nitrate
Five major industrial incidents caused by ammonium nitrate
The ammonium
nitrate caused the massive explosion in Lebanon’s capital Beirut. The explosion
caused huge damage to the human lives and properties. It is a big blow to the
country already reeling under severe economic crisis.
Many people immediately called it a nuclear explosion without verifying the facts. They assumed that the cloud of smoke was the result of nuclear explosions.It was a wrong assumption.
Lebanese authorities have confirmed that the
cause of the devastating Beirut explosion was ammonium nitrate; an
odorless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertilizer and has caused
numerous industrial explosions over the decades.
These
notably include one at a Texas fertilizer plant in 2013 that killed 15 and was
ruled deliberate, and a North Korean railway blast that left 161 dead in 2004. Two
tonnes of it were used to create the bomb in the 1995 Oklahoma City attack that
destroyed a federal building, leaving 168 people dead.
Ammonium
nitrate was among the chemicals stored in a warehouse in China's northern city
of Tianjin that ignited in 2015, triggering a blast that killed at least 165
people and caused over $1 billion in damages. An investigation found improper
storage of the chemicals was to blame.
When
combined with fuel oils, ammonium nitrate creates a potent explosive widely
used in the construction industry, but also by insurgent groups such as the
Taliban for improvised explosives.
Lebanese
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that had
been stored for years in a Beirut port side warehouse had exploded, killing 114
of people and causing widespread damage to the capital.
In
agriculture, ammonium nitrate fertilizer is applied in granule form and quickly
dissolves under moisture, allowing nitrogen — which is key to plant growth — to
be released into the soil.
However,
under normal storage conditions and without very high heat, it is difficult to
ignite ammonium nitrate. One chemical expert and professor of chemistry said
that "if you look at the video of the Beirut explosion, you saw the black
smoke, you saw the red smoke, — that was an incomplete reaction."
"I am
assuming that there was a small explosion that instigated the reaction of the
ammonium nitrate — whether that small explosion was an accident or something on
purpose I haven't heard yet."
That is
because ammonium nitrate is an oxidizer — it intensifies combustion and allows
other substances to ignite more readily, but is not itself very combustible. For
these reasons, there are generally very strict rules about where it can be
stored: for example, it must be kept away from fuels and sources of heat.
In the United
States, regulations were tightened significantly after the Oklahoma City
attack.
Under the
Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, for example, facilities that store
more than 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of ammonium nitrate are subject to
inspections.
Ammonium Nitrate is a dangerous substance but it is beneficial for agriculture purpose. It helps to increase productivity. The investigations are underway to determine the cause of massive explosion in Beirut. It is not yet clear that what caused that devastated explosion. Many people are raising fingers at Israel.
Khalid Bhatti
Post a Comment