Chemical warfare teams race to clear deadly sodium cyanide (truncated)

ABC.NET.AU ^ | 8/16/2015

[outofsalt]

What industrial application is there for Sodium Cyanide? Why would one have tons of this stuff?

[thackney]

sodium cyanide is mainly used in the mining industry to recover gold from ore

http://www.nicnas.gov.au/communications/publications/information-sheets/existing-chemical-info-sheets/sodium-cyanide-factsheet

[thackney]

Australia is a major global manufacturer and exporter of sodium cyanide, with manufacturing facilities in Western Australia and Queensland. About 100,000 tonnes of sodium cyanide are manufactured each year, of which about 40-60% is exported. There are several companies that also import sodium cyanide and/or reformulate small quantities.

Approximately 40,000~60,000 tonnes each year is used in Australia.

[okie01]

What industrial application is there for Sodium Cyanide? Why would one have tons of this stuff?

Sodium cyanide is primarily used in metal (esp. gold) refining and as a chemical feedstock (to produce nitriles).

It's not uncommon. Over 500,000 tons are produced annually.

Sodium Cyanide

[PA Engineer]

Unless there were UG storage tanks of some reactants which were also consumed by the event.

I'm leaning towards some type of UG operation. I still find it hard to believe since the area looks to be fill with a high water table. The proximity to port does have advantages and the cost to build such an operation may be justified by that alone.

I have studied many of the pictures and videos. It is possible the fill liquified. Some of the pictures indicate the surrounding fill was turned to glass. I have seen that numerous times before.

I never saw such a larger crater from a surface incident. One in particular that I investigated was a 1000psi 60in diameter gas line near a river crossing. The resulting fireball was immense and the ground was turned to glass in a radius of 100 meters ( I actually walked that one out). The crater was very small in comparison. Sadly, everyone within that radius was vaporized with silhouettes on adjacent concrete walls.

Beijing clamped down too quickly on the news. Granted they always do that and tend to lie when it is not necessary. That raised some suspicions this was a PLA industry.

The final fuel air explosion may have created the crater. That is one area I am not familiar with. Witnesses reported the air was pulled back to the center of the explosion during the final blast. That is an area outside of my expertise and maybe some other Freeper could comment on it.

[PA Engineer]

For your reference. Here is a very Hi Res photo of the blast sight.

Tianjin

The ejecta and blast direction is what raised doubts about the official cause.