[Gasification] mycoremediation of tarry water

doug.williams Doug.Williams at orcon.net.nz
Sat Feb 2 22:52:18 CST 2013


Hi Stuart,

In reply to Kevin you ask:

So I wonder why there seems to be a general consensus that dumping tarry water in a pond amounts to environmental vandalism. 

Like gasifiers, unless you are specific as to the process from which the condensate originates, it's like asking about how long is a piece of string. Certainly not all condensates are toxic black liquor, even if black, but some have benzene and other cacogenic compounds which can permeate into the ground water. Some condensate does kill plants, and I have made that stuff at times, in the past 36 years or so during development projects ):-(

Not saying your gasifier correspondent was making it up. 

Some of us have been around long enough to have seen these sites, some 50-70 years old, where crude wood gasifiers once powered irrigation schemes. The tar lakes are as toxic today as when they formed, and the phenolic compounds leach to the run-offs in the wet season.

But you would think the President of Myanmar would have better things to do than declare black water gasification leach ponds toxic sites  Military juntas aren't well known for their environmental awareness. 

Many ponds and paddy fields double as fish farms in Asia, and fish is an important commodity in rural communities. The fact that it has seen as an issue by those living there, should be enough for us who promote this technology, to support these environmental issues.

So why the concern about tar ponds people?

People desperate for electrical power in poor developing countries, are not aware or interested in how the power is made, or what the operator does with his cooling ponds. The stink usually is enough to warn you about these issues, but people including yourself, whom I assume is well educated, need to be better informed of environmental issues regarding condensate.  We wave a red flag like the man walking in front of the first Cars, creates awareness that a dangerous change in water use is in progress, and responsible management is required. Water scrubbers draws our attention calling for close scrutiny. No more, no less, hence, these interesting exchanges taking place on this Forum.

Hope this may be of interest to you.

Doug Williams,
Fluidyne Gasification.







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