Alkali Works Act pollution controlIn 1863, the Alkali Works Act was passed in Britain, effective 1 Jan 1864, to limit the extensive environmental damage caused by atmospheric pollution from industrial alkali works in the English counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The Act successfully enforced “the more effectual condensation of muriatic acid gas” (hydrochloric acid, HCl). In the era before electrolysis, alkali was manufactured by reacting salt with sulphuric acid, which produced HCl gas as an unwanted byproduct, released from tall chimneys intended to disperse the noxious vapours by dilution over a wide area. So this severely damaged the vegetation in a wide area. Buildings and iron structures were corroded. In the 1840s in the Merseyside area alone, an estimated 60,000 tons of the pollutant was released. The Act required a 95% reduction.« |
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