Supreme Court Bans Dirty Fuel to Fight Pollution in Delhi

•  The Supreme Court has banned the use of petroleum coke -- a cheap but dirty fuel -- in New Delhi's neighbouring states, the latest crackdown aimed at improving air quality in one of the most polluted cities in the world.
• The Supreme Court also ordered a ban on the sale and use of furnace oil -- a polluting refinery by-product -- in industries in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan starting November 1.
• Furnace oil and pet-coke are the dirtiest by-products from the refinery process and use of these fuels was banned in Delhi in 1996.
• But glass manufacturing units and other industries around the Indian capital continue to be reliant on them for their energy needs.
• Delhi experiences suffocating smog every year around Diwali when farmers in north India burn the stubble left behind after the harvest and revellers let off smoke-spewing firecrackers.

Analysis:

• Petcoke is a byproduct created when bitumen found in tar sands, is refined into crude oil. Bitumen contains a higher number of carbon atoms than regular oil and it’s these atoms, extracted from large hydrocarbon molecules using heat, that go on to form petcoke.
• High grade petcoke which is low in sulphur and heavy metals can be used to make electrodes for the steel and aluminum industry. But the majority of petcoke manufactured globally, approximately 75-80%, is of a much lower grade, containing higher levels of sulphur and heavy metals and is used solely as fuel. The majority of petcoke produced in the U.S. is exported to China – the world’s largest consumer of coal – to feed its many coal-fired power stations.
• Petcoke is an extremely stable fuel which means there is little risk of combustion during transportation, but due to its high carbon content when it does combust it releases up to 10% more CO2 per unit of energy that normal coal. That’s higher than almost any other energy source in existence and makes petcoke a huge contributor to the creation of greenhouse gases.
• It’s not just carbon that makes petcoke an environmental concern. Increased pollution controls are required during petcoke combustion to capture the excess sulphur found in low grade petcoke. The heavy metal content of petcoke has also left many worried, both at the effects of releasing it into the air when petcoke is burned, and the implications it has for the local environment during storage.
• Despite the environmental concerns connected to the manufacture and use of petcoke, it remains popular due its cost effectiveness. It’s inexpensive to manufacture yet easily exported, and provides an attractive source of cheap fuel for developing nations. As long as this win-win relationship between importer and exporter continues, it’s unlikely that we’ll see production slow any time soon.

By: Vishal