Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Chapter 4: The toxic cradle of productionThe smelters’ high energy consumption is largely responsible for <strong>the</strong> intensity ofgreenhouse gas emissions (CO 2e), contributing <strong>the</strong> equivalent of 5.7% to South Africa’semissions. This is supplemented by perfluorocarbons (PFCs), which are extremelypowerful and long lasting greenhouse gases, emitted primarily during upset conditionsat <strong>the</strong> plants according to BHP Billiton [2006]. Power outages or poor management of<strong>the</strong> smelting process <strong>the</strong>refore increase emissions and it may be anticipated that 2008was a very bad year for PFC emissions.The table also shows an extraordinary intensity of sulphur dioxide emissions, withBayside’s emissions similar to that of Durban’s oil refineries and Hillside and Mozalemitting nearly three times as much. In <strong>the</strong> smelting process, alumina is saturatedwith fluoride to give rise to <strong>the</strong> fluoride emissions. Fluoride is toxic to a variety ofplants even at very low concentrations and also accumulates in plants. Exposure evento low emissions thus results in fluoride concentrations accumulating over time and soentering <strong>the</strong> food chain from vegetables or grass grazed by cattle.Aluminium is smelted in pots at very high heat. The pot linings accumulate carbonand must periodically be renewed. Spent pot linings form <strong>the</strong> bulk of <strong>the</strong> solid wastefrom smelting and <strong>the</strong> carbon is impregnated with alumina and fluoride and lacedwith cyanide and arsenic. It is classified as a hazardous waste. Faced with rising disposalcosts, BHP Billiton entered a partnership with EnviroServ to reduce costs and “increase<strong>the</strong> value of its waste streams into specific offset markets” [BHP Billiton 2006: 50]. Ino<strong>the</strong>r words, it was looking to sell waste with <strong>the</strong> aim, according to EnviroServ, of “zerowaste to landfill” [2007: 24]. EnviroServ now ‘recycles’ <strong>the</strong> waste as an alternative fuelfor steel and cement production and so saves “enormous volumes of valuable landfillair-space” [25]. What does not go down into <strong>the</strong> landfill, however, generally goes upinto <strong>the</strong> air.Cement kilnsThe major cement corporations are AfriSam, Lafarge, Natal Portland Cement (NPC)and Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC). AfriSam is <strong>the</strong> newest kid on <strong>the</strong> block, taking<strong>the</strong> place of transnational corporation Holcim. The latter dressed up disinvestmentfrom South Africa as an empowerment deal which was carried through with R6 billionsupport from <strong>the</strong> state owned Public Investment Corporation (PIC). These fourcompanies are <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong> Cement and Concrete Institute whose objective is“to increase <strong>the</strong> market share” of concrete in construction. At present, residential and- 122 - groundWork - <strong>Wasting</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Nation</strong>