Ibrahim Dirani/Dar al Mussawir/EPA/AAP August 6, 2020 Beirut explosion yet another heartbreak for a country already on the brink Tony Walker, La Trobe University Torn apart by years of war and now effectively bankrupt, the country and its people are facing a new devastation.
Wael Hamzeh/EPA August 5, 2020 What is ammonium nitrate, the chemical that exploded in Beirut? Gabriel da Silva, The University of Melbourne For combustion to occur, oxygen must be present. Ammonium nitrate prills provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us.
Remains of a fertiliser plant and other buildings and vehicles after the plant exploded in West, Texas, USA, 17 April 2013. EPA April 19, 2013 Why was the Texas fertiliser plant explosion so deadly? David Cliff, The University of Queensland At least 14 people – including a number of emergency services crew – died in an massive explosion on Wednesday night at a fertiliser plant in the small town of West near Waco, Texas. So what made the blaze…