What Are Phosphates

Carteret commission votes to oppose sulfur plant

The Carteret County Commission is the latest public body in the region to go on record as opposing a sulfur-processing facility with two 150-foot smokestacks that a Canadian company plans to build near downtown Morehead City.

PCS Phosphates officials said they have been in talks with multiple state, local and federal agencies regarding the proposal since last summer, yet city and county officials maintain that many details of the project have remained unclear.

"If we had known what this was all about, we'd have requested face-to-face sit-downs and more information to ascertain exactly what their intent was," said Greg Lewis, vice chairman of the Carteret County Commission.

PCS spokeswoman Michelle Vaught said the $95 million processing facility is needed to melt solid sulfur after it is received by ships at the Morehead City Port.

News of the project became public earlier this month when adjoining property owner Jett Matthews, who operates the Morehead City Yacht Basin, was notified that the port authority would be making changes in the navigable waterway to accommodate sulfur barges used at the new facility.

"Once I started investigating what was going on, I started realizing how bad it was," Matthews said. "There's page after page of approvals that have already been granted by the state of North Carolina."

State Department of Environment and Natural Resources officials confirmed that permits pertaining to the project have been obtained.

"People should have had a chance to comment on this," Matthews said. "That's not what we want here -- a melting, boiling cauldron of sulfur."

The facility would be allowed under an amendment to the port authority's Coastal Area Management Act Permit, and no public hearing is required, said division spokeswoman Michelle Walker.

Matthews said nearby residents were given until July 29 to respond in writing to the CAMA proposal.

N.C. Port Authority spokeswoman Shannon Moody said PCS is the port's largest and longest-standing tenant, and the authority wanted to work with the company to accommodate its needs and the needs of the community for economic development and jobs.

The plant would employ approximately 18 full-time workers once construction is complete.

The Department of Commerce has been working with PCS to develop economic incentives for the project, Moody said. Commerce spokesman Justin Guillory said the department has a policy of not discussing new projects until they are officially announced.

Green Cleaning Products – What are Phosphates? | Green Living Tips ...

One of the first big campaigns for making cleaning Eco friendly started with the worry about phosphates in detergents. Find out why phosphates are so often included in conventional cleaning products.

Phosphates are naturally occurring and important to nature. The problem is, we humans are allowing far too many phosphates into the environment. Phosphates are used in animal feeds and fertilizers so the agricultural industry is responsible for a large proportion of the phosphates which enter our ecosystem.

But, if you’re thinking us mere mortals cannot have an impact on phosphorous levels if the agricultural sector is using them too, think again. We ‘ordinary’ citizens are responsible for a huge volume of phosphates entering the waterways each year. The Water Information System for Europe concluded that where sodium tripolyphosphate was used in household detergents it was the cause of 50% of available phosphates in municipal waste water. That means we can have a very immediate impact on the phosphates available to clog up our waterways.

The phosphates we are personally responsible primarily come primarily from our laundry and dishwashing detergents. Phosphates have multiple uses in our conventional detergents for washing laundry and dishes.

Phosphates soften the water used in our washing appliances. This means they stop the minerals present in the water getting in the way of the detergent’s action. Some minerals found in water will reduce the effectiveness of soaps in producing lathers and generally doing the work we want of them. This interference with the minerals in our washing water helps reduce limescale build up in the machine and on glassware where it is too often visible as clouding and smears.

Phosphates are used in detergents to maintain a high alkaline level. This is particularly useful in dishwashers as the high alkalinity is a factor in sanitising, or killing bacteria in the load.

Phosphates are also used to help with the actual cleaning process itself. They help the detergent hold on to dirt particles and prevent them being redeposited on your wash.

Because phosphates boost the effectiveness of our detergents so much they allow for thorough cleaning even at relatively low temperatures. One of the main reasons we have been so slow to move away from phosphates in our detergents is that they are so effective.

There are alternatives so many detergents are becoming more green, cleaning products. But, those replacements have not always been very positive for the environment either. Less polluting than phosphates they still cause problems in the waste-water treatment industry.

Biochemistry

Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition

Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry

The farmer's magazine

Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry