Sound Refining

Sound Refining was founded in 1967 and refined crude oil up until 1988. At full capacity it was able to produce 8,000 barrels per day. Its assets were purchased in 2004, and today it is used as a tank farm for petroleum, with its major products being asphalt and distillate oil. The 34 tanks can hold 30 million gallons, or the equivalent of 690,000 barrels. Sound Refining sits on 25 acres of land in Tacoma, Washington.

The Products of Sound Refining

Petroleum is produced at Sound Refining to service the Pacific Northwest for commercial and industrial use. They offer asphalt, diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, petcoke (which is a fuel substitute for natural gas) and propane. In addition to their manufacturing line, they buy and sell industrial fuel, oily water and used water.

The newest additions to the Sound Refining product line are ethanol, biodiesel blends and premium diesel. They already have E100 ethanol and will soon provide E85 as well.

Biodiesel Blends

Sound Refining is one of the first refineries to implement biodiesel blending. Biodiesel fuel is an alternative fuel that burns more cleanly than traditional fuels. It is biodegradable and non-toxic and comes from renewable resources such as soybean oil. Such plant-based oils can be used to create a biodiesel blend by mixing them with petroleum diesel.

An advantage of biodiesel is that it is the only alternative fuel for which health effects testing to adhere to 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments requirements has been completed. It is legally saleable as motor fuel in its pure state, also known as neat biodiesel, and can reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 78 percent. Even blended, it reduces toxic impact on the environment and can save the consumer money.

Crude oil is no longer being refined at the Sound Refining oil refinery in Tacoma, Washington. However, the refinery is still being utilized to farm petroleum for various byproducts.

Oil Refineries and Asbestos

If heat or combustion was a concern, various forms of asbestos were the insulator preferred by builders for most of the last century. As a result, it was typical for petroleum processing plants like Sound Refining to be constructed with materials made with asbestos. Resistance to reactive chemicals is another property of certain kinds of the fibrous mineral. Ceiling tiles, insulation, counter tops, even protective uniforms, therefore, commonly were made with the fibrous mineral. And while the asbestos did well in safeguarding against fire damage and in protecting people and equipment from excessive temperatures, it also exposed those same people to serious health risks.

For the most part, amosite was the type of asbestos utilized. The brownish color associated with amosite is a result of iron molecules in its chemical makeup; this also causes amosite to be resistant to corrosive substances, such as those used in plants like Sound Refining. Although it was prohibited from use as a construction material in the 1970s, amosite, in the form of asbestos-containing transite, was used for many years in labs, oil refineries and chemical plants throughout the US.

Asbestos transite was characterized qualities like cement; it could be molded into working surfaces and laminated. This form of asbestos did not pose a health hazard so long as it was solid. However, as transite with asbestos containing material (ACM) got older, it became prone to becoming powdery, which enabled the deadly, tiny fibers to flake off into the air. In other words, such asbestos is friable, a term used for material that is easily pulverized. In addition, industrial ovens often were fabricated with friable asbestos as part of their insulation linings.

Why Is Friable Asbestos a Problem?

When friable, asbestos fibers are readily released into the environment. Inhaling asbestos particles can lead to diseases like asbestosis. Another unusual, and generally fatal, asbestos-related disease is a type of cancer called mesothelioma. The pleural form of the illness, one which affects the lining between the lungs and the pleural cavity, is the most common. Pericardial and peritoneal mesothelioma result from swallowing fibers of asbestos, which is likely if microscopic particles become airborne and settle on food or drinks.

Mounting pressure from the medical community, activist groups and the media forced the creation of laws regulating the use of asbestos. When facilities such as Sound Refining were first operating, however, the use of asbestos was much more commonplace. And in way too many instances workers used materials containing asbestos without the protection of respirators or other safety gear.

Asbestos Exposure - a Hidden Danger

Unlike many on-the-job injuries, which are easily observed and known about soon after the incident, asbestos-related illnesses can take many, many years to develop. The symptoms of mesothelioma and asbestosis - a persistent cough, dyspnea (i.e., shortness of breath) and pain in the chest - may easily be confused with the symptoms of other, less serious conditions. People that worked at or spent much time around oil refineries like Sound Refining should, therefore, ask their physicians for a mesothelioma treatment guide. Furthermore, family members and others who shared homes with these people are also at risk; unless effective safety measures, such as using workplace-only clothing and on-site showers, were in place, it was all too easy for workers to bring particles of asbestos on their skin, in their hair, or on their clothing. While there is no mesothelioma cure, the disease sometimes can be treated with various therapies.

Sources

Bio Diesel - FAQs
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/

Department of Ecology, State of Washington - Sound Refining
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/industrial/oil_soundrefing.html

Sound Refining - Products
http://www.soundrefining.com/products.html

Sound Refining - Services Overview
http://www.soundrefining.com/services.html

Sound Refining - What's New
http://www.soundrefining.com/whatsnew.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) - Laboratories and Shops
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages3.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Disposal
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/HAZEXCEPTIONS/a.html