More on Sulfur in E-waste at Bloom Energy

I read a couple of my blogs from late June 2012

http://www.greenexplored.com/2012/06/delaware-now-is-deal-away.html

June 23, 2012 and

http://www.greenexplored.com/2012/06/deal-away-part-2.html

June 25, 2012

You see I had followed the hearing in Delaware (Deal Away) where under oath the Bloom VP, Mr. William Brockenborough, made statements about sulfur containing compounds in their Coffins.  Mr. Brockenborough who is the General manager of Bloom Electrons, is also the person who submitted the permit application on behalf of Bloom on November 11, 2011.

Here are items extracted from the official transcript of the hearing held on June 13, 2012

On page 154, Mr. Schoell (Bloom’s lawyer) asks Mr. Brockenborough “What are the raw materials used in the process?”  Brockenborough replies on lines 16 and 17 “The raw materials used in the process are utility natural gas and air.” 

The discussion between Schoell and Brockenborough then turns to sulfur the 16^th element of the periodic table.  The reasoning for the questions to Mr. Brockenborough was that Mr. Nichols who had challenged the permit application had introduced into evidence the fact that Bloom had asked the State of California to provide Bloom with training money to train Bloom Box operators in the safe handling of hazardous materials specifically hydrogen sulfide (the gas that gives rotten eggs their pungent odor).

On page 155 lines 10 through 12 Mr. Brockenborough states “As the witness described sulfur is poisonous to the stack and the electrochemical process so we remove it.”  The previous witness was a chemical engineer that Mr. Nichols had introduced.

On page 155 line 12 and 14 Mr. Brockenborough states “We use a resin bed that is like a sponge that absorbs mercaptan and removes it from the gas.”  Mercaptan is the odorant added to natural gas so one can smell a leak and is a sulfur containing compound.   Brockenborough explains mercaptan.    Page 155 lines 15 and 16  “The mercaptan itself, because it's used in gas, it's piped into people's homes, is nontoxic.”

Then the discussion turns to hydrogen sulfide and on page 155 lines 23 and 24 Mr. Brokenborough states “No there is no hydrogen sulfide used or produced in the process”. 

Mr. Brokenborough goes on to explain the mistake in requesting State of California training funds for hydrogen sulfide handling.  On page 156 lines 19 to 22.  Brockenborough states “That was erroneous because there is no hydrogen sulfide involved in the manufacture or operation of the fuel cells.”

We have the very same person who submitted the permit application stating under oath there is resin bed that traps mercaptan.   Yes we now mercaptan is a sulfur containing chemical.  T-butyl, ethyl, and methyl mercaptans are used to impart odor into natural gas.  We also know they are toxic chemicals when more concentrated.  Mr. Brockenborough stated they are “non toxic” and “piped into peoples homes.”    Here are a couple links on the health ill effects of mercaptans. 

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+1611

http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Mercaptans

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=222&tid=40

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=40

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanethiol  

Well Mr. Brockenborough you are either ill-informed, ignorant, or not telling the truth!!!   Mercaptans are toxic!!  Also pipeline natural gas has hydrogen sulfide and other sulfur containing molecules beside mercaptan!  The US EPA provides us this data.

http://www.epa.gov/airmarkt/emissions/gasdef.html

Any sophomore level chemical engineer knows that there is some hydrogen sulfide in natural gas.  Mr. Brockenborough studied electrical engineering at Stanford University.  Prior to joining Bloom he was an executive at Chevron.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bill-brockenborough/1/763/35a

We have Mr. Brockenborough admitting under oath there are sulfur containing resins but still arguing they are “non-toxic”.   The Attorney General of Delaware needs to investigate the entire affair.  It does not matter that the AG in the First State is Joe Biden’s son.  It does not matter that John Doerr who was Joe’s boss’s dinner host is on the board of directors of Bloom.   It does not matter that Colin Powell is also a board member of Bloom and is Doerr’s strategic adviser.  It does not matter that Al Gore is partners with Doerr and Powell.  What matters is what is in the solid waste that comes out of the power generation station Bloom built in the protected coastal zone.   

I will bet my life there are H2S, COS, mercaptan and other toxic sulfur containing chemicals in the waste.  I challenge Al Gore to bet his $100 million there are none present.  Come on Big Al stop lecturing the Australians that their wild fires were caused by the CO2 your Bloom Boxes emit.  Stand up and be a man and take my bet.  If I win your $100 million I will give to students to study Thermodynamics and keep crooks like Al Gore in thermo jail.