Top photo: storage in Beirut warehouse before the explosion (cropped for size).
Next: Oklahoma City damage from 2.5 tons of similar material.
Last: Beirut damage from estimated 2,750 tons of it.
The bottom image is a screenshot from video at the Guardian link. Note the first two links have informed discussions re storage and ignition of this fertilizer. I'll put a couple video links in the next gif-fest.
Addendum: This informative comment from a reader:
It's not "Ammonium nitrate fertilizer", it's ammonium nitrate mixed with a fuel oil, usually diesel fuel, which combines to form Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil, or "ANFO" which is the designation used to differentiate it from the common fertilizer. The bags in the picture are clearly marked NITROPRILL which is just one of many brands of ANFO produced worldwide by many explosives manufacturers.If you tried using that stuff as an agricultural fertilizer you would contaminate the soil, kill any existing crops and create a hazardous waste site. Forget the fertilizer component, it would be like spraying your fields and crops with diesel fuel and you would likely be shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency.
You learn something every day. Thank you to this reader.
not sure about the wisdom of posting this, tbh. Do we need to remind 2020's nutcases about OKC?
ReplyDeleteInfo on OKC and Timothy McVeigh are not scrubbed from the internets.
ReplyDeleteCannot recommend highly enough City on Fire by Bill Minitaglio about the Texas City explosion in 1947.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a try. Requested from our library. Tx.
DeleteI was going to mention the Texas City (Galveston Bay) disaster as well. It resulted from 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate plus a lot of other materials
DeleteIt's not "Ammonium nitrate fertilizer", it's ammonium nitrate mixed with a fuel oil, usually diesel fuel, which combines to form Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil, or "ANFO" which is the designation used to differentiate it from the common fertilizer. The bags in the picture are clearly marked NITROPRILL which is just one of many brands of ANFO produced worldwide by many explosives manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteIf you tried using that stuff as an agricultural fertilizer you would contaminate the soil, kill any existing crops and create a hazardous waste site. Forget the fertilizer component, it would be like spraying your fields and crops with diesel fuel and you would likely be shut down by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Great information. I've amended the title and text accordingly. Thank you so much.
DeleteAmmonium nitrate prills are not ANFO, but ammonium nitrate in a porous confection, in order to absorb fuel to produce ANFO explosives. Using it as fertilizer would pose no environmental hazard. However, ammonium nitrate is exposive without added fuel.
ReplyDeletethat this may be limited viewing. one of the better analysis of the lebanon blast with links to many videos:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/video/beirut-explosion-footage.html What Footage of the Beirut Explosion Tells Us About the Blast - The videos offer clues into the blast’s cause and the strength of its destructive power.
I-)
Confirm. Nitropril is *NOT* ANFO. It's basically pure ammonium nitrate, not mixed with anything. Normally ammonium nitrate destined for fertilizer use is mixed with other substances to reduce its danger. Nitropril isn't mixed with anything, and usually processed to allow it to absorb accelerants like fuel oil (the FO in ANFO).
ReplyDeleteNote, the reports on the explosion in Beirut are there was an initial fire, a smaller explosion which attracted everyone looking at the area (and pointing cameras that way), then the much larger one. I suspect the first fire was the cause of the larger, second explosion and why there were fire crews working to get access to the building...
So Stan, the comment you pulled up to the main article, isn't correct.
Ditto. I have been handling explosives for years, and can confirm that the bags shown contain prilled Ammonium Nitrate, manufactured by Orica.
ReplyDeleteNot ANFO, but configured specifically to be used as an oxidiser in blasting. The fuel oil in ANFO, 6% or so by weight, provides for the most efficient explosion. More or less fuel would be less efficient. The type of fuel can vary. Diesel is used because of cost and availability. Molasses can work also. But it is pretty safe to handle. A fuse or even blasting cap is not going to set it off. It needs a booster explosive. But exposure to a large fire changes things.
NH4NO3 is particularly dangerous when subject to heat decomposition, which happens at about 400 degrees. Some portion of it detonates, providing sufficient shock to chain detonate the rest.
Sorry to nitpick, but Oricas product is named Nitropril.
DeleteNitroprill seems like a knockof which was probably the reason it was seized.