Cement stocks tank on apex court’s petcoke ban

Environment and Ecology Pollution

The Supreme Court has requested all States and Union Territories to move forward towards a nationwide ban on the use of pet coke and furnace oil to power up industries, in a bid to fight pollution.
The Environment Bench of the Supreme Court had already ordered a ban on the industrial use of pet coke and furnace oil in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
This ban specifically came after an Environment Pollution Control Authority Report recommended the ban on sale, distribution and use of furnace oil and pet coke in the National Capital Region (NCR).

About Petcoke:

Petcoke is an exceptionally polluting form of carbon which is banned in several countries due to its severe toxicity.
Petroleum coke or petcoke, is a final carbon-rich solid material that derives from oil refining.
It is categorized as a “bottom of the barrel” fuel as it is essentially residual waste material which is obtained after refining coal to extract lighter fuels like petrol.
Petcoke is abundantly used in India in several manufacturing industries such as cement, steel and textile and it is generated in vast quantities by refineries as it is significantly cheaper that coal, has high calorific value and is easier to transport and store.
Petcoke is over 90 percent carbon and emits 5 to 10 percent more carbon dioxide. (CO2) than coal on a per-unit-of-energy basis when it is burned.
Petcoke has a higher energy content therefore it emits between 30 and 80 percent more CO2than coal per unit of weight.
The difference between coal and coke in CO2production per unit energy produced depends upon the moisture in the coal (increases the CO2 per unit energy – heat of combustion) and volatile hydrocarbon in coal and coke (decrease the CO2 per unit energy).

Analysis:

Human exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) emissions from pet coke storage piles, at sufficiently high concentrations and durations of exposure, could cause respiratory and cardiovascular effects characteristic of PM inhalation exposures.
Petroleum coke is more prone to becoming airborne than other materials because it contains a higher amount of fine silt than substances like gravel or sand – so people are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of it, increasing the chance of lung and heart impacts.
According to a 2015 report published by The Lancet Commission, 8 residents of Delhi die each day as a result of air pollution. Delhi has been ranked as India’s most polluted city and is also among the world’s most critically polluted cities.As per the report, India has topped the list of pollution related deaths in 2015 with a staggering 2.5 million deaths due to pollution.

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