CHAIRMAN OF THE SEC* SPEAKING ON THE MBS PROCESS: JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -- The following info. provided by aauhaa, Chairman, SI Sluppie Nation Science Education Commission, is just too valuable to take any chances that it get lost in the trees (hawkeyes posts). I have taken the liberty to repost it all here.
"The basic ingredient of MBS reagent is calcium sulfide (CaS). CaS is normally unstable in moist atmosphere or water and decomposes releasing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) - stinky and poisonous.
Solucorp Patent #s 05877393 issued March 2, 1999 and 05808093 issued April 27, 1999 describe a method for stabilizing CaS (will not decompose and release H2S) and using the stabilized system (reagent) to immobilize heavy metals in soils.
Lets define "immobilize". Where reagents are available, metals will react to form the most stable compound possible. When CaS reacts with the heavy metal compound it comes into contact with, it forms its sulfide - which is how these metals are usually found in nature. The lead compound becomes PbS (galena), the zinc compound becomes ZnS (sphalerite), mercury becomes HgS (Cinnabar) etc with some variations due to the overall composition of the MBS reagent as disclosed in the patents. These natural compounds are insoluble and go nowhere (immobilized)for millennia. We are speaking here of geologic time frame.
As the ores in their natural state, they are insoluble in water and therefor cannot leach into and pollute the aquifers - the water we drink. They are soluble in strong acids, and are recoverable by smelting - neither of which would be present or will occur in the sites treated. Once they have been "immobilized" they aint moving or reacting.
So when Kemper Insurance guarantees a site treated with MBS against any future liability - its a no-brainer.
The EPA in the U.S., their equivalent in Canada, the U.K., China and now rapidly in the rest of the globe has recognized or is recognizing MBS technology as THE technology of choice for immobilizing heavy metals in soils.
The MBS technology is unique, patented and in successful commercial use by major steel companies, The Doe Run in line system (now running three years with a contract extension), the Boston Artery Project, etc., etc, all immobilizing heavy metals.
I have been told there are 40,000 brownfield sites in the U.S. A brownfield site is one that is contaminated by hazardous compounds, both organic (benzene, TCE, PCE etc and inorganic (heavy metals). Of these, some 40% have heavy metal contamination. No developer wants to spend the money to decontaminate a site as the liability stays with the site forever. Along comes Kemper Insurance and assumes all heavy metal liability of a site treated with MBS technology. Some sites become enormously valuable.
The only other technology available is treatment with portland cement with no guarantees. The portland cement treatment is supposed to last 200 years. At a public hearing regarding the Midvale, Utah site, 500 acres astride I 15, a former lead smelter, the MBS technology was introduced to compete with portland cement. No contracts have yet been awarded, but portland cement found they had a competitor.
I have been trying to find (somebody help me) the article which appeared in the last year or so in Science or some like magazine (maybe Smithsonian) in which the Hanford Works used the portland cement treatment starting 10 years ago to prevent radioactive leaching into the Columbia river, and radioactivity leaching is now occurring. 10 years???
MBS has been tested at Brookhaven Labs and Solucorp did announce successful results. While MBS will not do anything to radioactivity, it will immobilize the radioactive heavy metals and prevent them from going anywhere.
So we come to Smart International and the SEC. If you read the Solucorp 10Ks, the story is all there. Smart can produce Calcium Sulfide (CaS) at a competitive price. Smart loves the MBS technology and enters into a contract to have have exclusive rights in China in return for minimum $2,000,000 annual royalty in cash or kind. Solucorp takes some in cash, some in kind. Ships containers to Canada and U.S for use in projects. Now has 7,000 tons of CaS in storage in China with another 7,000 tons for the asking.
Initial chromium mountain project in Tianjin on which tests were run, delayed. SEC investigates.
Meanwhile, Solucorp announce Tianjin chromium mountain deal closed with BOHAI Chemical (major china force) now in act as exclusive MBS promoter in China. All 7,000 tons committed plus the additional 7,000 tons plus all that may be needed for the projects now being developed. Makes, in my mind, SEC position untenable.
How long, oh Lord, How long?? Justice!!!"
from small dissertaions on the MBS process from aauhaa
hawkeye apololigizes for breaking-it-up and perhaps distracting from aauhaa's highly informative posts
thanks again aauhaa, Chairman, SEC *( SI SLUPPIE NATION, SCIENCE EDUCATION COMMISSION)
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