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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 10, No. 5
Publication Date: October 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/aivp.105.13208. Whiteside, M., & Herndon, J. M. (2022). New Paradigm: Coal Fly Ash as the Main Cause of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion. European
Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(5). 207-221.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
New Paradigm: Coal Fly Ash as the Main Cause of Stratospheric
Ozone Depletion
Mark Whiteside, M.D., M.P.H.
Florida Department of Health, Key West, FL 33040 USA
J. Marvin Herndon, Ph.D.
Transdyne Corporation, San Diego, CA 92131 USA
ABSTRACT
We provide further compelling evidence that aerosolized coal fly ash and its various
components, especially iron, is the primary cause of stratospheric ozone depletion,
not chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases, as “decreed” by the Montreal Protocol of 1989.
Aerosolized coal fly ash is a toxic “witches’ brew” of numerous elements and
substances that destroy ozone directly and indirectly by numerous chemical
reactions, the full extent of which is not yet known. The prevailing CFC-ozone
depletion theory is simply wrong, and does not account for multiple chemical and
photochemical reactions that kill stratospheric ozone. We discuss the primary role
of coal fly ash particles in ice nucleation and cloud formation in the upper
troposphere and stratosphere, and dispel the notion that meteoric or extra- terrestrial material is responsible for polar stratospheric clouds. We provide
extensive documentation that iron and several other elements found in coal fly ash
are trapped in polar stratospheric clouds and destroy ozone by various means,
especially when they are released in the spring. Recent scientific discoveries “fit
together” to strongly support the New Paradigm of stratospheric ozone depletion
by coal fly ash. The “World Not Avoided” by the Montreal Protocol is already here:
The biosphere is in collapse with runaway global warming, and lethal ultraviolet
radiation penetrating to Earth’s surface. This new paradigm shift must be
operationalized. Time is critically short to salvage what we can of Earth’s vital life
support systems, including the stratospheric ozone layer. We reiterate that all
sources of aerosolized coal fly ash must be reduced and/or eliminated. All forms of
geoengineering must stop immediately if we are to survive as a species. The
deliberate assault on Earth’s natural processes, we allege, constitutes no less than
acts of planetary treason.
INTRODUCTION
We have previously provided compelling evidence that coal fly ash particles, not
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), are the primary cause of stratospheric ozone depletion, through
numerous ozone-killing reactions, graphically illustrated in Figure 1 from [1].
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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 10, Issue 5, October-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Figure 1. Graphic illustrating the major sources of aerosolized coal fly ash lofted into a particle
laden polar stratospheric cloud, and some of the many components of coal fly ash that directly
kill ozone, from [2]
Coal fly ash itself can destroy ozone in a variety of ways [1, 3-8]. Stratospheric ozone can be
destroyed by reactive halogens, and chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine, of which are found
in coal fly ash [9]. Ironically, combustion of coal even produces some chlorofluorocarbons that
are found in coal fly ash [10]. Experimental data shows that separate components of coal fly ash
can absorb or destroy ozone. For example, there is reactive uptake of ozone on mineral oxides
including those of aluminum, silicon, and iron, all major components of coal fly ash [11]. The
surfaces of coal fly ash carbon are oxidized by ozone [5], and ozone reacts with carbon
nanoparticles [6-8]. Submicron carbon and iron aerosol particles are found to destroy ozone
efficiently, with the implication that these particles in the stratosphere may represent a
significant cause of ozone depletion [12].
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Whiteside, M., & Herndon, J. M. (2022). New Paradigm: Coal Fly Ash as the Main Cause of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion. European Journal of
Applied Sciences, 10(5). 207-221.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.105.13208
We have examined the central role of coal fly ash iron in stratospheric ozone depletion [2]. Iron
particles in primary and secondary coal fly ash aerosols lead to the formation of ice crystals in
cirrus clouds and in the polar stratospheric clouds whose coal fly ash constituents are mainly
responsible for creating ozone holes [1, 2]
Coal fly ash iron is associated with active reactive oxygen species, including the hydroxyl
radical, which destroys ozone in the stratosphere. Ozone can be both adsorbed onto iron- containing particles and depleted by photochemical reactions with iron and other constituents
of coal fly ash. Iron is known to activate halogens including chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and
iodine. Here we further explore and elucidate the origin and speciation of iron particles in
primary and secondary aerosols, the enhanced formation of ice clouds by iron, the chemistry of
iron in cloud water, and iron interactions with halogens in ice. In addition, we discuss the fallacy
of “meteoric” metals nucleating polar clouds. Finally, we present a unified understanding that
explains stratospheric ozone depletion by coal fly ash, especially its iron component.
COAL FLY ASH IRON
Compared to gases, particulate aerosol particles are minor components of the atmosphere, but
they are ever-present, and play a major role in chemical reactions, radiation effects, and cloud
formation, and, significantly, stratospheric ozone depletion. Iron is one of the most reactive
elements in the atmosphere. Iron oxides absorb sulfur dioxide, converting it to sulfates at the
gas-solid interface. Surface coating of insoluble iron particles with soluble material enhances
their ability to form clouds [13]. Iron and aluminosilicates are both primary constituents of coal
fly ash, the abundant waste product of coal burning. Iron in aluminosilicate phases is
continuously released into aqueous solution as fly ash particles break up into smaller fragments
[14]. Soluble iron (Fe2) in aerosols contributes to reactive oxygen species and catalyzes
oxidation of atmospheric gases.
Most of the ultrafine and nano-sized iron particles from coal-burning sources are mixed with
sulfates and nitrates, and they are associated with an increased percentage of soluble iron [15].
The solubility of iron from combustion sources is much greater than that from mineral dust.
New estimates of the total deposition of soluble iron to the oceans indicates a larger
contribution of anthropogenic combustion iron than either mineral dust or biomass burning
[16].
Anthropogenic aerosol particles, especially coal fly ash, metals, and soot particles, are
transported long distances to affect ecosystems, human health, and climate changes [17]. Coal
fly ash and other aerosol particles in the troposphere cause regional and/or global warming by
absorbing radiation, transferring that heat to atmospheric gases, which reduces the adverse
temperature gradient relative to surface air, which concomitantly reduces convective heat loss
from the surface [18-20].
Secondary organic aerosols are formed in the atmosphere when volatile organic compounds
emitted from anthropogenic or biogenic sources are oxidized by reactions with OH radicals, O3
(ozone), NO3 radicals, or chlorine atoms to form less volatile products that enter into aerosol
particles [21]. Secondary organic aerosols comprise a large fraction of atmospheric aerosol