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* How are things in your part of Illinois?…
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 7:38 am
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Previous Post: Isabel’s morning briefing
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My daughter will get to meet MK Pritzker at a small gathering where MK will be discussing her new book.
For a young’un, she’s geeked.
Comment by The Dude Abides Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 8:01 am
from suntimes, here is what BJ is doing after his promise:
Many selective enrollment and magnet schools complained they are losing staff, but the picture is complicated. Several are using virtually all of their discretionary money to buy staff positions to offset losses.
For the first time, CPS is acknowledging that some schools have an advantage if they can raise significant private money
Comment by 44 Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 8:10 am
I’m not sure where the plans stand for the proposed pyrolysis plant in Will/Grundy county, per the state legislation which created the ability to build it and was passed a few years ago(HB 1616)
https://www.wastedive.com/news/illinois-chemical-recycling-bill-eps-foam/645173/
However I think that plan is probably pretty much DOA now, after the news which has been trickling out nationally over the past few days.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/28/climate/pfas-forever-chemicals-industry-lawsuits.html
Will be interesting to see how this plays out, or if it just quietly goes away in the hopes nobody remembers IL was planning to build this.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 8:33 am
The aliens…oops, I mean cicadas…are in full whine mode.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 8:43 am
Cool and sunny here in beautiful DuPage County today. Looking to do some yard work while it’s not too hot.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 8:54 am
Glorious morning in Central IL — home of the balanced budget
Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 9:00 am
Cubs game had all the potential to be one of the most frustrating games of the season. Borderline perfect starter taken out deep into a no-hit bid, the bullpen almost immediately gave up a hit (not that combined no hitters mean anything), Cubs bats kept being garbage, the umps stunk multiple times, and the Brewers tied it up with only one out to go in the 9th. But then the Cubs made a good play to immediately get the 27th out, and then poured some gas on the fire to take a darn good lead in the 10th, so seemingly all good but the Cubs allowed the Brewers to crawl back a bit before finally shutting the door to get back above .500.
Phew, man.
Comment by TJ Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 9:10 am
Interesting AP story about the ALPLM: https://apnews.com/article/lincoln-museum-us-flag-purchase-investigation-f4297c3b6813b5aacdf642ad3ec7af4b#
Comment by Dog Lover Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 10:42 am
I’m in favor of pyrolysis because it actually does destroy pfas and other toxic chemicals in the most environmentally conscious way. The heat and moisture in the reaction chamber rips the molecules apart into their constituent elements, turning them into feedstock for industrial applications. So I get it that the people behind the plant construction think of it as manufacturing instead of disposal. It’s a kind of recycling that can handle the very worst contaminants in a permanent manner, while in theory at least making a profit.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 11:50 am
–The heat and moisture in the reaction chamber rips the molecules apart into their constituent elements–
No, it doesn’t.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389423007306
You are referencing ‘wet’ pyrolysis, which is the worst in its ability to destroy PFAS. Even the emerging ‘dry’ pyrolysis doesn’t remove all PFAS.
The entire point claimed for these plants is to convert plastic into fuel for other industrial processes. By definition that requires long-chain molecules, not raw elements, to exist at the end of the process to be the fuel.
There are nine different PFAS molecules, each with their own binding energy, each with their own different temperatures required for decomposition. One of them requires temperatures well over 1000C to completely decompose, which is far higher than pyrolysis plants operate. If someone is telling you PFAS will be completely destroyed, at best they are selectively using a single PFAS of the nine, likely perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) which begins decomposition around 200C.
Additionally, part of the reason this needed legislation passed was to classify it as a recycling facility, instead of an industrial chemical plant. One of the outputs of the now re-classified recycling plants is wastewater which will have significant PFAS and microplastics contained within it. Because it’s classified as a recycling facility and not a chemical manufacturing facility, this wastewater can be discharged into local waterways with minimal additional treatment.
Plastic recycling has turned into a complete boondoggle, with this being the latest iteration.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 12:45 pm
Why was the greatest advocate for the local highway agencies fired from IDOT yesterday?
Comment by Huh? Wednesday, May 29, 24 @ 3:18 pm