"Caused residents and businesses to barricade themselves indoors...."

The proper storage and disposal of aluminium dross is a hazard in our industry. Dross is formed on the surface of molten aluminum or its alloys by oxidation. Dross is the mixture of metallic aluminium and non-metal part mostly aluminium oxide. Dross is highly flammable when in contact with water. The following story emphasizes the need for proper storage and disposal:

An aluminium recycling firm in the United Kingdom has been fined after polluting the air with chemical fumes. The aluminium recycling firm were sentenced by a local court over pollution around their site.

The fumes - which came from a pile of aluminium waste - were so strong they caused residents and businesses to barricade themselves indoors. The 10-tonne pile of waste was undergoing a chemical reaction, believed to be sparked by rain, which caused a ‘fizzing sound’ and made an Environment Agency officer’s eyes water.

The court heard how, on an evening in first quarter of 2012, the police and fire brigade received reports of a strong chemical smell in the area around the aluminium recycling site.

The odour was so strong that the police closed nearby roads to vehicles and pedestrians, and they also visited local residents to advise them to keep windows and doors shut. The prosecutor for the Environment Agency, told the court that local fire department attended the scene with six pumping appliances and specialist incident support units.

Complaints came in from a local pub, where people could no longer sit outdoors, and a takeaway business was advised to close for the evening. The Environment Agency said they tracked the source of the smell to a 10-tonne pile of aluminium waste, a recyclable residue known as dross, which had been deposited in the company’s yard.

When investigating officers visited the site, they could smell a chemical odour in the air, and a fizzing sound was heard, indicating that a chemical reaction was taking place in the aluminium waste pile.

The waste pile had been left uncovered and exposed to rainfall, which may have started the reaction.

Some of the material had been moved into a covered storage skip to contain the smell, and when the cover was pulled back for an inspection, the fumes caused an officer’s eyes to immediately water.

In court, the aluminium recycling company admitted an offence of depositing controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health, contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The environment management team leader at the Environment Agency, said after the case: “The chemical odour that the local community experienced in April 2012 was strong and unpleasant.

“The emission of the fumes affected residents and businesses, and the emergency services spent valuable time and effort responding to the incident to ensure that people were not put at risk.

“aluminium recycling company’s poor handling of its waste aluminium was the cause of the pollution, and as such this incident could have been avoided, had appropriate procedures been followed. The fine imposed by the court demonstrates the seriousness of environmental offences. Industrial operations of this nature can pose a risk to the environment and local communities if they are not properly managed – that’s why it is vital that companies work within the rules.”

In addition to the fine, aluminium recycling company was ordered to pay over £2,500 in costs and a victim surcharge of over £100.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog wishes that the residents and nearby businesses recover fully from the odors that they smelled from the aluminium dross fire.

Here is a useful Powerpoint presentation titled "Aluminium Dross Processing - A Case  Study" (it can be downloaded here).

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