What industrial application is there for Sodium Cyanide? Why would one have tons of this stuff?
sodium cyanide is mainly used in the mining industry to recover gold from ore
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.
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.