Those citizens who tuned in via Zoom to the Tuesday, June 30, 2020 public meeting held by SungEel MCC’s president Mr. Danish Mir and were hoping to get factual information to counteract their claimed “misinformation” circulated by NoBurnBroome’s would have been bitterly disappointed. Instead of “facts” citizens heard “claims” of safety but with no backing with credible data. Incredibly, after 10 years of what Mr. Mir claimed was a “safe and clean” operation to their sister facility in South Korea, he could offer only one test of dioxins, and only single spot tests for metals and other pollutants. Such a lack of emission data is extremely disturbing and would suggest that the South Korean authorities have allowed this SungEel facility to operate without any accountability.
Mr. Mir may be a good salesman to those who have little scientific knowledge but those who are well-informed about the dangers posed by burning, his lack of chemical knowledge was astounding. For example, he dismissed the nanoparticle issue raised by the NoBurnBroome group by claiming that the only nanoparticles of interest coming from SungEel’s stacks would be “water vapor.” This is utter nonsense and trivializes a very serious issue. The real issue is that the pollutants of major concern (e.g., toxic metals and dioxins) deposit on the surface of particles and the smaller the particle the greater the total surface area per unit mass. The result is that nanoparticles will represent a large fraction of the most toxic substances produced in incineration. However, they are neither monitored nor regulated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Mr. Mir said he was producing nanoparticles when he breathes out! Unless Mr. Mir is a dragon, the nanoparticles he breathes out are not the same as the nanoparticles from his incineration process.
As far as transparency is concerned, the citizens were not allowed to answer questions at the event. Questions had to be submitted 4 days ahead of time. Even then Mr. Mir failed to address many submitted questions.
Here is a recording of the meeting: Recording: June 30, 2020 SungEel public Q&A
Here are a few of citizens’ questions that were not answered:
1) What is the distance to the nearest residence from your facility in South Korea?
2) Is it true that your South Korean facility is located in regulation-free zone to encourage innovations?
3) Please explain the difference between your combination of a rotary kiln coupled with an afterburner and a two-stage incineration unit?
4) What percentage by weight of the batteries do you recover and what percentage of the batteries do you destroy?
5) Please identify some of the fluorinated by-products obtained when you heat polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) to 600 degrees Centigrade – and subsequently when these are burned in the afterburner.
6) Same as 5) but for the electrolyte lithium hexafluorophosphate.
7) Which of your air pollution devices will remove fluorinated by-products which are volatile and insoluble in water?
NoBurnBroome 