It takes just under 2 ounces of methanol to kill a person, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Newport Biodiesel Inc., a company that converts used cooking oil into biofuel, disposed of 2.8 million pounds of liquid methanol waste – a byproduct of the conversion process – in 2017, equal to 22.6 million lethal doses if ingested or absorbed through skin contact. To be clear, no one has died from exposure to the company’s toxic-waste byproducts; Newport Biodiesel minimized harm to people and the environment by disposing of the waste through recycling and combustion for energy recovery.
And as of 2018, Newport Biodiesel cut the amount of off-site methanol waste disposal by 84% to just 423,258 pounds, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018 Toxic Release Inventory report. The reduction is the result of a $1 million, 60-foot distillation tower that allows the company to reuse up to 3 million pounds of methanol per year, according to Blake Banky, president of Newport Biodiesel.
Dennis Deziel, the EPA administrator for the New England region, lauded the company’s innovative approach to environmentally friendly practices during a tour of the facility last month.
‘A lot of companies, they want to be cleaner and greener.’
KAREN SLATTERY, R.I. Department of Environmental Management supervising air-quality specialist
This commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of toxic waste is reflected across the Ocean State, which performs better than the region and the nation by releasing fewer chemicals into the environment, according to the EPA’s latest Toxic Release Inventory.
The annual report reflects 2018 data for 21,557 large-scale mining, manufacturing or utility companies and other businesses nationwide, 81 of which are in Rhode Island. Facilities are required to report all toxic-chemical releases, as well as the amount of off-site production waste “managed” by recycling, combustion for energy recovery or treating for destruction – the preferred methods for disposal.
Rhode Island facilities produced a total of 18.3 million pounds of toxic chemicals in 2018, 2% of which was released directly into the environment, versus 98% that was recycled, combusted or treated. By comparison, 9.8% of the 192.6 million pounds of chemicals produced in New England was released into the environment, and 12.3% of those nationally, according to the report.
Rhode Island also saw an 11.5% decrease in total chemical waste produced in 2018 compared with the prior year. Regionally, the decrease was only 6.7%, and nationally it was a 9.2% increase.
It’s difficult to draw accurate conclusions from single-year changes, which can be affected by changes in reporting requirements, facility closures and economic factors, according to Dave Deegan, a spokesman for the EPA’s New England office. But Deegan pointed to long-term trends as evidence of “meaningful declines” in chemicals produced and those released into the environment across the region.
Since 2007, the amount of chemical waste produced by New England facilities decreased 20%, including a 32% cut in chemicals released into the environment, according to the EPA. Rhode Island’s total chemical waste production also fell by about 20% in the same time frame, including a 42% drop in chemicals released into the environment.
Deegan credited this positive regional trend to utility companies shifting away from coal and fuel oil to other fuel sources, as well as reduction in or replacement of toxic chemicals used.
Karen Slattery, supervising air-quality specialist for the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s planning, toxics and monitoring section, echoed Deegan’s comments about decreasing chemical use and waste production in the state. Slattery attributed this to a combination of federal regulations and requirements, a shift in the local manufacturing industry and increasing focus on environmentally friendly practices.
“A lot of companies, they want to be cleaner and greener,” Slattery said.
That the DEM inspects “major” sources of chemical waste on a regular basis to ensure they’re staying within their limits helps, too.
“If we were not inspecting these sources, I’m sure they would emit a little bit more,” Slattery said.
But compared with the late 1980s when violations and penalties for chemical emissions and waste ran rampant, her office now sees only a few cases per year that result in violations, she said.
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CONVERSION PROCESS: Two workers at Newport Biodiesel prepare to unload a delivery of used cooking oil to be processed into biofuel. / PBN PHOTO/MIKE SKORSKI[/caption]
At Newport Biodiesel, Banky described achieving a better environmental footprint as a philosophy that “permeates” the company – from its reuse of restaurant cooking oil to its recycling practices and repurposing of methanol waste.
Melissa Lavallee, environmental health and safety coordinator for Technic Inc., also highlighted the environment as a priority for the global chemical manufacturer based in Cranston, pointing to the use of its silver-coated copper product on solar panels as an example.
Technic was the highest producer of toxic waste in Rhode Island in 2018, according to the EPA report, though nearly all of the 99,284 pounds of chemical waste produced was recycled off-site.
Ocean State Power LLC, by contrast, was the third-highest producer of toxic waste in the state in 2018, but released all 55,471 pounds of ammonia directly into the air. The Burrillville energy company referred all media inquiries to its owner, the national power and energy company LS Power Development LLC, which did not return several requests for comment.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.