Maceió revokes land use permit for sulfuric acid storage in local port

The Maceió City Hall revoked, on June 2022, the land occupation certificate that had been granted in 2022 to the company that was supposed to establish a terminal for storing sulfuric acid at the Port of Maceió. Concerns about potential damages and accidents prompted the revocation.

The document which provided the rationale for the revocation highlights the volatile nature of sulfuric acid and the potential for disaster due to its corrosive properties. It states, “While sulfuric acid is not flammable, its combination with other substances can lead to a significant tragedy in the event of a fire.”

When questioned, the city’s Secretariat for the Environment and Urbanism clarified that the land occupation certificate does not imply authorization to install any industrial facility. However, they emphasized that the revocation of such a license served the purpose of underscoring the current administration’s commitment to the environment and the safety of the population.

The revocation of the authorization granted to Timac Agro Indústria e Comércio de Fertilizantes, a French multinational, comes at a time when environmental organizations and regulatory bodies are raising concerns about the potential risks associated with the proposed facility. Specialists have pointed out hazards such as explosions, ecological pollution, and even the threat of fatalities.

The port terminal that Timac would have utilized had been authorized by the Federal Government in 2020, during the tenure of former President Jair Bolsonaro, for handling and storing sulfuric acid. The acid was intended to supply one of the company’s fertilizer factories in Santa Luzia do Norte, which currently receives sulfuric acid from Bahia.

Source: G1

To read the original text, visit:  https://g1.globo.com/al/alagoas/noticia/2023/06/22/prefeitura-revoga-certidao-de-empresa-que-pretende-armazenar-acido-sulfurico-no-porto-de-maceio.ghtml

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