The fire service pumps sulfuric acid up after a leak at Vormedal
The fire service has pumped in excess of 500 litres of sulfuric acid up after a leak at a company at Vormedal in Rogaland.
“We have been working on this for a long time. We were notified of the pollution at around 9 am this morning, Officer on Guard of the Rogaland Fire Department, Christer Gilberg, tells NTB.
At around 6 pm on Friday, they are still working on collecting what is left of the sulfuric acid.
Gilberg states that the leak occurred in connection with the restarting of a plant after a shutdown.
“There is no report of injury to persons. We are working on limiting the damage on land. There is, luckily, little damage to the environment and nature,” he explains.
Operations Manager of Southwest Police District, Victoria Hillveg, informs NTB that the police are establishing a case in connection with the leak.
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Sulphuric acid
Sulfuric acid (alternative spelling sulphuric acid), also known as vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with molecular formula H2SO4. It is a colorless, odorless, and syrupy liquid that is soluble in water and is synthesized in reactions that are highly exothermic.
Its corrosiveness can be mainly ascribed to its strong acidic nature, and, if at a high concentration, its dehydrating and oxidizing properties. It is also hygroscopic, readily absorbing water vapor from the air. Upon contact, sulfuric acid can cause severe chemical burns and even secondary thermal burns; it is very dangerous even at moderate concentrations.
Sulfuric acid is a very important commodity chemical, and a nation’s sulfuric acid production is a good indicator of its industrial strength. It is widely produced with different methods, such as contact process, wet sulfuric acid process, lead chamber process and some other methods.
Sulfuric acid is also a key substance in the chemical industry. It is most commonly used in fertilizer manufacture,It is also important in mineral processing, oil refining, wastewater processing, and chemical synthesis. It has a wide range of end applications including in domestic acidic drain cleaners, as an electrolyte in lead-acid batteries, and in various cleaning agents.
(source: Wikipedia)
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