sulfuricacid

11 photos tagged sulfuricacid, from 1 member of Flickr Commons.

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1939

 

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Copper mining section between Ducktown and Copperhill], Tennessee. Fumes from smelting copper for sulfuric acid have destroyed all vegetation and eroded the land (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

  • Wandering Lizard said:
    Wherever they're walking, its pretty far away. And very post-apocalypticy.
  • rednecks unite said:
    This is the caption that Marion Post Walcott included with her photo from 1939 but the actual damage to the vegetation occurred in the late 1800's. The smelting technology of that time did not allow the sulfur dioxide generated by the heating of the ore to be captured. By 1909 the mining companies developed new practices which let them recover the sulfur dioxide and use it in the manufacture of sulfuric acid.

A train bringing copper ore out of the mines, Ducktown, Tenn. Fumes from smelting copper for sulfuric acid have destroyed all vegetation and eroded the land (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

  • phoppernowlin said:
    This should have been a clue about enviornmental hazards.
  • ranaldo20 said:
    This area has rehabilitated a bit, but it still looks funky to this day.
  • Red Necks know stuff said:
    This is the caption that Marion Post Walcott included with her photo from 1939 but the actual damage to the vegetation occurred in the late 1800's. The smelting technology of that time did not allow the sulfur dioxide generated by the heating of the ore to be captured. By 1909 the mining companies developed new practices which let them recover the sulfur dioxide and use it in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. Reclamation in the Basin began in the 1930's with varying degrees of success initially. By the 1970's new techniques were developed and today most of the Basin has been revegetated.
  • GroverH said:
    Good to hear that the reclamation effort has been successful. I was there in the 1960s and the sight (in contrast to the lush mountain scenery all around) brought tears to my eyes

Copper mining section between Ducktown and Copperhill], Tennessee. Fumes from smelting copper for sulfuric acid have destroyed all vegetation and eroded the land (LOC)

from The Library of Congress

  • ADrawingADay said:
    How awful.
  • judyinktown said:
    Is there a picture of Ducktown today? The last time we rode through that area it seemed that most of that land had been reclaimed, and looked nothing like this picture.
  • Red Necks know stuff said:
    This is the caption that Marion Post Walcott included with her photo from 1939 but the actual damage to the vegetation occurred in the late 1800's. The smelting technology of that time did not allow the sulfur dioxide generated by the heating of the ore to be captured. By 1909 the mining companies developed new practices which let them recover the sulfur dioxide and use it in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. Reclamation in the Basin began in the 1930's with varying degrees of success initially. By the 1970's new techniques were developed and today most of the Basin has been revegetated.
  • Pat Henson said:
    Not really. The Basin remained denuded until the acid plant and mining operation went out of business in the late '80's. I grew up there, and it looked just like this till I was out of college in the '80's.
  • David Voorhies said:
    I rode thru there yesterday, 10/13/2013. The Copper Basin is now very green, and the forest is coming back. It's going to take generations for the trees to mature, however. Just don't drink the water.