Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,153,025 members, 7,818,027 topics. Date: Sunday, 05 May 2024 at 05:25 AM

Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon - Foreign Affairs (3) - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Foreign Affairs / Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon (34169 Views)

Israeli Strike Kills Wissam al-Tawil, Hezbollah Commander In Lebanon / Beirut Explosion: The Photographer Recording This Scene Died - Report / Beirut, Lebanon Explosion: Father Trying To Save His Son (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3) (Reply) (Go Down)

Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Galadimabawa: 2:36pm On Aug 05, 2020
Holy shit, God help us
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by sulaak(m): 2:36pm On Aug 05, 2020
ecolime:
Really sad

Their economy is in ruins and at the edge of total collapse and being categorised as a failed state.

They've defaulted on their international loan repayments since January and here we have Nigeria (a mono-economy) still borrowing millions and Billions of dollars from China like say tomorrow no dey.

God loves this country called Nigeria. I really pray similar fate does not befall us.

Lebanese authorities stored unprotected Ammonia Nitrate for 6 years at the port. These are the kind of people that Nigerians elites repect lazy and corrupt Arabs.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Nitah1: 2:42pm On Aug 05, 2020
DMPaulSr:
A large stockpile of ammonium nitrate is believed to have caused the explosion in the Port of Beirut.

An explosion at a warehouse in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, killed more than 70 people and left more than 4,000 people injured on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the explosion, videos uploaded to social media show plumes of red-brown smoke and the apocalyptic extent of the destruction, with buildings leveled for miles. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosion was fueled by a stockpile of over 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, confiscated and stored for approximately six years at the port.

The explosive potential of ammonium nitrate is well understood and has been used in numerous terrorist attacks including the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. So what is ammonium nitrate, why is it explosive and why do we use it?

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound containing the element nitrogen (as well as hydrogen and oxygen) and is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizer. Plants rely on photosynthesis, converting sunlight to energy using chlorophyll. Nitrogen is an essential element for this process and ammonium nitrate is particularly good, compared with other fertilizers, at delivering plants nutrients.
It's also an explosive compound and is used around the world in mining and construction operations requiring detonations. Under normal conditions, the chemical is highly stable. It can explode after exposure to contaminants or fuel oil and then heated, which sets off a cascade of reactions.

When heated to above 170 degrees Fahrenheit, ammonium nitrate begins to undergo decomposition. But with rapid heating or detonation, a chemical reaction can occur that converts ammonium nitrate to nitrogen and oxygen gas and water vapor. The products of the reaction are harmless -- they're found in our atmosphere -- but the process releases huge amounts of energy.
"The idea in making any sort of explosive is to go from a high energy compound to a low energy one," explains Ian Rae, a professor at the University of Melbourne. "The energy given out is what you get as explosive power."
This also requires pressure to build up in a confined space, without being able to dissipate. Burning ammonium nitrate in an open field, for instance, isn't likely to result in an explosion, Rae said.
Additionally, in the explosion, not all of the ammonium nitrate is used up and exploded. Some of it decomposes slowly creating toxic gases like nitrogen oxides. It's these gases that are responsible for the red-brown plume of smoke seen in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, Rae said.

After the fireball erupts in the video above, you can immediately see the shock wave expanding away from the blast. Moisture in the air is quickly condensed, forming a white sphere around the explosion zone. It's not clear what else may have been ignited or exploded in the blast -- or what was stored at the docks -- but Prime Minister Diab is expected to make this information known "soon," according to The Guardian.

Because of ammonium nitrate's explosive potential, countries and unions impose strict regulations on how to store and process it. "It is generally kept under controlled conditions and modified volumes to minimize chances of explosion," says Brent Kaiser, a plant biologist at the University of Sydney. In Australia, the storage and use of ammonium nitrate is monitored to prevent these types of explosions occurring, Kaiser said.


The accidental detonation of ammonium nitrate has resulted in a number of accidents in the last century. In 2015, explosions partly caused by the detonation of around 800 tons of ammonium nitrate rocked the Beijing port of Tianjin, killing 173 people.

An explosion of ammonium nitrate was responsible for the worst industrial accident in US history in 1947. A ship in the harbor of Texas City, Texas, carrying approximately 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire, supposedly via a discarded cigarette, causing a series of explosions that killed 581 people.
Two explosions are said to have rocked the port. Though the causative agent of the larger, second explosion appears to be ammonium nitrate, the full scale of the devastation in Lebanon isn't yet completely understood and an investigation will be performed. "What happened today will not come to pass without accountability," Diab said. He has also announced that Wednesday will be a national day of mourning in the country and the port and surrounding region has been declared a disaster zone.

"This is clearly a very significant explosion, and the reported number of deaths is likely to be far higher than currently identified," said David Caldicott, a senior clinical lecturer in medicine at the Australian National University.

Watch How The Explosion Started

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBbsQdIIa0Y

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/beirut-explosion-how-ammonium-nitrate-caused-deadly-blast-in-lebanon/
This is Hezbollah storage house.

Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Nitah1: 2:44pm On Aug 05, 2020
Who owned the storage house?
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Nitah1: 2:46pm On Aug 05, 2020
No one mess with MOSSAD..my opinion though..
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Nobody: 2:56pm On Aug 05, 2020
Opperwezen:
No doubt it was caused by ammonium nitrate.


Which was very likely exploited by terrorists!
ogbeni stop d foolish assumption
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by SirMichael1: 3:06pm On Aug 05, 2020
Truly, news gets here late. This was on twitter by 11pm last night and it's just got to FP 12hrs later. Hmm.
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by wink2015(m): 3:17pm On Aug 05, 2020
DMPaulSr:
A large stockpile of ammonium nitrate is believed to have caused the explosion in the Port of Beirut.

An explosion at a warehouse in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon, killed more than 70 people and left more than 4,000 people injured on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the explosion, videos uploaded to social media show plumes of red-brown smoke and the apocalyptic extent of the destruction, with buildings leveled for miles. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Lebanon Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosion was fueled by a stockpile of over 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, confiscated and stored for approximately six years at the port.

The explosive potential of ammonium nitrate is well understood and has been used in numerous terrorist attacks including the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. So what is ammonium nitrate, why is it explosive and why do we use it?

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound containing the element nitrogen (as well as hydrogen and oxygen) and is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizer. Plants rely on photosynthesis, converting sunlight to energy using chlorophyll. Nitrogen is an essential element for this process and ammonium nitrate is particularly good, compared with other fertilizers, at delivering plants nutrients.
It's also an explosive compound and is used around the world in mining and construction operations requiring detonations. Under normal conditions, the chemical is highly stable. It can explode after exposure to contaminants or fuel oil and then heated, which sets off a cascade of reactions.

When heated to above 170 degrees Fahrenheit, ammonium nitrate begins to undergo decomposition. But with rapid heating or detonation, a chemical reaction can occur that converts ammonium nitrate to nitrogen and oxygen gas and water vapor. The products of the reaction are harmless -- they're found in our atmosphere -- but the process releases huge amounts of energy.
"The idea in making any sort of explosive is to go from a high energy compound to a low energy one," explains Ian Rae, a professor at the University of Melbourne. "The energy given out is what you get as explosive power."
This also requires pressure to build up in a confined space, without being able to dissipate. Burning ammonium nitrate in an open field, for instance, isn't likely to result in an explosion, Rae said.
Additionally, in the explosion, not all of the ammonium nitrate is used up and exploded. Some of it decomposes slowly creating toxic gases like nitrogen oxides. It's these gases that are responsible for the red-brown plume of smoke seen in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, Rae said.

After the fireball erupts in the video above, you can immediately see the shock wave expanding away from the blast. Moisture in the air is quickly condensed, forming a white sphere around the explosion zone. It's not clear what else may have been ignited or exploded in the blast -- or what was stored at the docks -- but Prime Minister Diab is expected to make this information known "soon," according to The Guardian.

Because of ammonium nitrate's explosive potential, countries and unions impose strict regulations on how to store and process it. "It is generally kept under controlled conditions and modified volumes to minimize chances of explosion," says Brent Kaiser, a plant biologist at the University of Sydney. In Australia, the storage and use of ammonium nitrate is monitored to prevent these types of explosions occurring, Kaiser said.


The accidental detonation of ammonium nitrate has resulted in a number of accidents in the last century. In 2015, explosions partly caused by the detonation of around 800 tons of ammonium nitrate rocked the Beijing port of Tianjin, killing 173 people.

An explosion of ammonium nitrate was responsible for the worst industrial accident in US history in 1947. A ship in the harbor of Texas City, Texas, carrying approximately 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire, supposedly via a discarded cigarette, causing a series of explosions that killed 581 people.
Two explosions are said to have rocked the port. Though the causative agent of the larger, second explosion appears to be ammonium nitrate, the full scale of the devastation in Lebanon isn't yet completely understood and an investigation will be performed. "What happened today will not come to pass without accountability," Diab said. He has also announced that Wednesday will be a national day of mourning in the country and the port and surrounding region has been declared a disaster zone.

"This is clearly a very significant explosion, and the reported number of deaths is likely to be far higher than currently identified," said David Caldicott, a senior clinical lecturer in medicine at the Australian National University.

Watch How The Explosion Started

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBbsQdIIa0Y

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/beirut-explosion-how-ammonium-nitrate-caused-deadly-blast-in-lebanon/

ANOTHER 9/11 AGAIN !

ANOTHER OSAMA BIN LADEN AGAIN !

THE 9/11 ANNIVERSARY IS GETTING NEARER AND THE ARABS ARE AT IT AGAIN !
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by bizhop01: 3:42pm On Aug 05, 2020
Al gazeera, CNN, FOX, MBC, BBC, Channel TV report 100 dead and over 4,000 injured,

While nairaland report 70 dead, NTA 80 dead, Sun report over 65 dead grin
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by offset67(m): 4:01pm On Aug 05, 2020
I don't know why but I just don't feel sorry for them
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Nobody: 4:05pm On Aug 05, 2020
Jeromejnr:


Smh.

That's their port. Their major source of wealth for the country that was destroyed. They lost far more than they can get.


Do you know how much they stand to gain from aids and donation? Do you know how much haiti made after the whole earthquake issues? They were embezzlement scandals then o and some said they inflated number of casualties
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by debinson: 4:22pm On Aug 05, 2020
God safe us, thank God this did not happen in Nigeria. [color=#006600][/color]
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by 3phase(m): 5:07pm On Aug 05, 2020
So it even aint a terrorist attack and many have been accusing some religion fanatics about it...ALLAH AKBAR
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Annychibest(f): 5:12pm On Aug 05, 2020
What? � oh my God �
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by SirWarlock: 6:59pm On Aug 05, 2020
priceaction:
Did you notice how the journalists and the website gave comprehensive analysis and reports of the situations and the danger of the chemical. When at times you read Nigeria news paper or reports, you will be wondering if they actually go to school.
You mean channels and their 5 mins covid report or another subject matter cheesy.
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Kakamorufu(m): 7:34pm On Aug 05, 2020
I remember this ammonium nitrate is what we use as Main explosives in quarry to blast rocks.
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Grateful02(m): 8:31pm On Aug 05, 2020
May they rest in peace.
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by Loveknitting: 9:16pm On Aug 05, 2020
APOSTLECHUMA:
Exactly 4years ago, Nasrallah of Hezbollah promised to lunch an attack on Israel's Haifa port that wil be like a nuclear attack. I wil curse them that curse thee said God unto israel.


You should know this attack is on innocent civilians not hezbollah. So God make this happen?
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by TOPCRUISE(m): 10:31pm On Aug 05, 2020
Ambitious terrorist will get some inspiration from this thread
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by TreasureTayo(m): 11:03pm On Aug 05, 2020
MansoryMX:


Hydrogen mixed with oxygen, plutonium mixed with atom or uranium mixed with hydrogen grin
ahahahahahahahahahahja mad ooo
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by YaksonFCA(m): 11:16pm On Aug 05, 2020
RIP
Re: Beirut Explosion: How Ammonium Nitrate Caused Deadly Blast In Lebanon by UKBobo(m): 12:20am On Aug 06, 2020
Bhadmus77:

The oil tanker will blast around your area and kill only u... Why do u see joy in making fun out of bad things ehn

You must be an RCCG pastor. LOL

(1) (2) (3) (Reply)

Death Toll In Gaza Jumps To 83 / Chile Legalizes Same Sex Marriage ( Pictures) / President Joe Biden And Vladimir Putin's Geneva's Summit Meeting - In Pictures

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 72
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.