This is not really funny, although some of the comments are: ...

[J. S. Bach]

...
http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/yikes-train-carrying-10-million-pounds-of-poop-stranded-at-a-small-town-in-alabama/

[Rufus T. Firefly]

This is close to that ship carrying all the fly ash that was refused and at sea for 2 years before it was accepted in PA.

[chuck]

I believe the train is full of sludge from waste water treatment. It's the stuff that settles out during primary treatment and is what is left after primary bio digestion has reduced the volume. In some cases the sludge can be further processed to make fertilizer assuming it isn't contaminated with heavy metals or other toxic waste. I am guessing it's stuff in Alabama because the ultimate destination won't accept it.

Calling it poop instead of sludge sells more papers.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

In some cases the sludge can be further processed to make fertilizer assuming it isn't contaminated with heavy metals or other toxic waste. I am guessing it's stuff in Alabama because the ultimate destination won't accept it.

There must be some reason why they were transporting it.........but to where?

Calling it poop instead of sludge sells more papers.

Indeed.

[chuck]

And now for the rest of the story:

The sludge was on it's way for burial at a landfill in the next county over.

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/0 ... erati.html

[Roy]

I hope they don't use those containers for anything but shit.

[webenda]

There must be some reason why they were transporting it.........but to where?

A private landfill in Adamsville, Alabama.

Here in Tucson a Biosolids contractor is paid to haul it away. He, in turn, sells it for use on agricultural fields in Pima
and Pinal Counties.

Processing the sludge produces a lot of "biogas." Tucson has been trying to sell the gas but has had a series of failures. The last biogas customer went bankrupt. I don't know why they don't use it over at Tucson Electric Power (TEP.) TEP no longer burns coal, they use natural gas plus methane from the city's landfill.

[up148]

Look up the problems with Fly Ash in Bokoshe, OK. They have a Fly Ash pit, but the users aren't complying with the law or how it was set up. Residents are screaming and it's been on the news several times, but nothing being done. They (owners and users) always choose an area that is low impact or the residents are lower income and can't fight it. Leaking into farmers fields and since it blows in the wind (not supposed to per the agreement) the lung cancer rate in that county is way above normal. State government just makes stupid statements and pretends they are concerned.

BH

[webenda]

Look up the problems with Fly Ash

OK, problems with fly ash in general.

The constituents of fly ash depend upon the specific coal bed makeup but may include one or more of the following elements or substances found in trace concentrations (up to hundreds ppm): arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, hexavalent chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, thallium, and vanadium, along with very small concentrations of dioxins and PAH compounds] It also has unburnt carbon.

So, it is a source of valuable elements. What do we use it for?

In the past, fly ash was generally released into the atmosphere, but air pollution control standards now require that it be captured prior to release by fitting pollution control equipment. In the US, fly ash is generally stored at coal power plants or placed in landfills. About 43% is recycled, often used as a pozzolan to produce hydraulic cement or hydraulic plaster and a replacement or partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete production. Pozzolans ensure the setting of concrete and plaster and provide concrete with more protection from wet conditions and chemical attack.

Isn't it hazardous?

After a long regulatory process, the EPA published a final ruling in December 2014, which establishes that coal fly ash is regulated on the federal level as "non-hazardous" waste according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR's) are listed in the subtitle D (rather than under subtitle C dealing for hazardous waste, which was also considered).

[up148]

The last paragraph is what the Oklahoma government is hanging their hat on. Residents are asking "if not dangerous, then why is the incidence of lung cancer so much higher in bokoshe" and "what about it leaking into ponds (killing cattle) and farm fields". It is just so hard to fight "City Hall".

BH