C&EN: TODAY'S HEADLINES - EXPLOSIONS HIT CHEMICAL PLANTS

ANN THAYER

A railcar containing cyclohexanone oxime exploded at BASF’s Freeport, Texas, site just over a week ago, rattling windows miles away and causing an evacuation of the facility. A few days earlier, Ineos Phenol experienced a fire and explosions at its Mobile, Ala., plant.

Meanwhile, the derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway train carrying nearly 11,000 gal of sulfuric acid led to the evacuation of about 3,000 people near Knoxville on Sunday, Sept. 15. Two days later, the acid had dispersed or was neutralized, and residents returned home.

Although no serious injuries occurred in any of these events, they come at a time when the industry is facing increased pressure to secure and maintain safe operations (see page 15). Just last week, the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board released its two-year study of reactive hazards, recommending that OSHA, EPA, and industry trade groups work to improve process safety (see page 78).

BASF is still investigating the cause of its explosion and any required corrective action. Besides the railcar, the explosion damaged a nearby storage tank, releasing an undetermined amount of oleum, a concentrated sulfuric acid. The chemicals involved are used in the production of nylon. Overall, four workers had minor injuries and three of 16 units at the site were shut down.

Fire and explosions at Ineos were in one of two units that split cumene hydroperoxide into phenol and acetone. Because of the plant’s design, the estimated $10 million in damage was confined to the one unit. Like BASF, Ineos is looking into the cause and any actions it should take. However, it has already begun rebuilding the two-year-old plant and even intends to expand it by 10% in the process.