the toxic truth - Greenpeace

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the toxic truth What is known about the waste The waste present in the slop tanks arriving in Abidjan consisted of an oily liquid layer (also referred to as organic phase or hydrocarbon phase) and an aqueous phase (also referred to as the watery phase or spent caustic). The oily liquid layer was on top of the aqueous layer. The very bottom layer most probably consisted of sediments, at least part of which were not offloaded and dumped in Abidjan, as the sediments remaining on board became subject to a dispute one month later when the ship was in Estonia. The total amount of waste dumped in Abidjan has been estimated to be approximately 516mt (528m 3 ). 6 The Netherlands Forensic Institute analyzed samples taken from the oily liquid and aqueous layer of the waste present in the slop tanks when the Probo Koala was in Amsterdam from 2 to 5 July in 2006. The NFI analysis was completed by three laboratories – Caleb Brett, Saybolt and Omegam. The NFI identified the waste in the Probo Koala’s slop tanks as “a combination of an oily liquid and water, with a whole range of impurities. The oily liquid consists of a hydrocarbon mixture which, in terms of composition, shows many similarities to a naphtha-like product from the cracking installation of a refinery. The composition of the water shows a high degree of similarity to spent caustic (a waste stream resulting, inter alia, from washing of the naphtha stream from refinery cracking installation): » pH is 14 » Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of 720,000mg/l » 10% sodium hydroxide » 4.8% phenols (including thiophenols and phenylmercaptans) » 3.5% mercaptan-sulphur (including phenylmercaptans or thiophenols) » 0.5% hydrogen sulfide.” 7 The organic compounds in the watery phase of the waste were found after acidification of the samples with a hydrochloric acid solution. Hydrogen sulphide, mercaptans, phenols and thiophenols were detected in the acid form. In the alkaline watery phase of the samples these components appear in the basic form, namely as sulphide, mercaptide, phenolate and thiophenolate. 8 Despite over a period issuing public statements suggesting that the waste dumped in Abidjan was just ordinary ship’s slops and not toxic, Trafigura have admitted in documents obtained from the UK court that the chemical composition showed the waste was not ordinary ship’s slops. On 3 December 2008, Trafigura responded to amended requests for clarification of the defence from Leigh, Day & Co by submitting a list entitled “Likely Chemical Composition of the Slops”, which it said was “based on the NFI analysis”. 9 The list, which is reproduced on page 208, essentially adopts the NFI analysis and then applies the percentages to the 379 metric tons of aqueous waste and the 137 metric tons of hydrocarbon waste with a different composition. In its defence in the case against the BBC in November 2009, Trafigura again agrees that the NFI analysis is the best available evidence of the composition of the waste. It also states that the sample taken by CIAPOL from the Probo Koala waste on 21 August 2006 should not be considered a reliable analysis. 10 The likely chemical composition of the aqueous and hydrocarbon phases of the slops, as accepted by Trafigura: 207 ANNEX I
208 Amnesty internAtionAl And greenpeAce netherlAnds ANNEX I Aqueous PHAse 11 ChemiCal % of slops Weight in slops Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) 10% 37.9 tons Total Sulphur (S) 6.8% 25.7 tons Mercaptan Sulphur (Ethyl and Methyl Sodium mercaptides as S) 3.34% 12.7 tons Thiophenols 0.16% 0.6 tons Phenols, including Cresols 4.8% 18.2 tons Inorganic Sulphur (Sulphide and Bi-Sulphide as S) 12 0.5% 1.9 tons Cobalt Phthalocyanine Sulphonate 4 ppm added 1516 grams Catalysts (as Co) 1.3 ppm measured 492 grams Mercury 0.91 ppm 345 grams Zinc 2.7 ppm 1023 grams Copper 1.8 ppm 682 grams Strontium 0.42 ppm 159 grams HydrocArbon PHAse 13 ChemiCal % of slops Weight in slops Hydrocarbons C5 to C11 Approx 98% Approx 135 tons Heavy Hydrocarbons C14 to C40, estimated from Tredi Analyses 0.45 % 0.62 tons Normal Alkanes 29.1 % 39.9 tons Branched Alkanes 17.2% 23.6 tons Unsaturated Compounds 36.2 % 49.6 tons Cyclic Alkanes 10.9 % 14.9 tons Aromatics, of which 6.2% 8.5 tons C2 Alkyl Benzenes 1.7% 2.3 tons C3 Alkyl Benzenes 0.9% 1.2 tons C4 Alkyl Benzenes 0.1% 0.14 tons Total Sulphur mainly as Diethyl and Methyl Propyl Disulphides (measured as S) 1.3% 1.8 tons Mercaptan Sulphur (S) 0.095% 0.13 tons Organo Chlorine (ex Main VII) 2 ppm 274 grams
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