South Park

Community Outreach

In March 2006, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency issued an Order of Approval allowing Lafarge North America Inc. to test burn whole tires as a fuel in its cement kiln. This approval required a series of tests and reports to demonstrate compliance with existing requirements and identify what emission changes might result from the use of whole tires.

The agency has met with the community as new information became available, to present progress to date, summarize information received, discuss the implications of that information, and consider next steps. Additionally, we will post here and send a project update out to individuals/community members on our e-mail and postal mailing list.

PROJECT UPDATES:

History of project events:

March 17, 2006 - Original air permit for whole-tire testing project was approved

June 6-7, 2006 - Lafarge completes the baseline tests (no tires or liquid waste fuels)

July 21, 2006 - Original permit was revised due to project delays for Lafarge

August 7, 2006 - Baseline test report received by the Agency

July 20, 2007 - Initial testing completed using whole tires

September 18, 2007 - First whole-tire test-report received by the Clean Air Agency

December 7, 2007 - Second test completed using whole tires

February 5, 2008 - Second whole-tire test report received by the Agency

May 20, 2008 - Third test completed using whole tires

July 18, 2008 - Third whole-tire test report received by the Agency

October 1, 2008 – Fourth test completed using whole tires

November 26, 2008 – Fourth whole-tire test report received by the Agency

TEST RESULTS: 

Tests completed in May, 2008 measured emissions at a tire substitution rate of 11.2 % (percent substitution of energy supplied by coal).  The test in December, 2007 was at a tire substitution rate of 14.8%.  The test in July, 2007 included two different substitution rates -- one at 14.7% and the other at 16.2%.  Throughout this sequence of tests, Lafarge has continued to make adjustments to their operational conditions to support a demonstration of compliance with EPA's dioxin emission limit.

Following a review of the test report, there are several notable results:

• Dioxin emissions during the latest tire substitution tests were the lowest reported concentrations observed during this testing sequence and were below the allowable concentrations in EPA's rule for hazardous air pollutants for cement plants. 

• The third test results mean that Lafarge may proceed with the use of whole tires as a fuel substitute in an ongoing manner under the terms of their current permit approvals providing they operate within the conditions they exhibited during the compliant source test.

More detailed information may be found in a letter sent to interested parties in August 2008

WHAT'S NEXT?

Lafarge completed the fourth and final whole tire test on October 1, 2008.  The Agency has completed an initial review of that test report and concluded that Lafarge demonstrated compliance with existing emission limits at a tire substitution rate of 14.2% (percent substitution of energy supplied by coal).  The previous test in July 2008 had shown compliant emissions at a tire substitution rate of 11.2%.

We are expecting that an engineering report summarizing all of the information collected through the tire substitution emission testing and monitoring will be submitted by the end of the year (2008).  Shortly after that submittal, we are expecting to receive an application to request approval of the whole tire project up to the fuel substitution levels which were successfully tested over the past 18 months.  Once we receive the engineering report, we will share that information with the public.  We will also identify times and places to discuss the information with interested parties prior to any formal comment periods on any draft proposed permit actions.

STAY INFORMED:

Sign up to receive notification of future meetings or when test results are posted online. E-mail nailahs@pscleanair.org with your e-mail and/or postal mailing address.