Maureen

Thanks for the reply.

Pacifica PA is the only permit I have heard of in BC where TDF is being burned.

I would really like to have a read of permit PA01863. Could you send me a copy?

There are 3 fluidized bed power boilers (all with ESPs) that I know of in this province, there's one in Mackenzie (Fletcher C) and the one Pacifica PR has here is the biggest. They do not burn anything but wood waste, sludge and natural gas here and I don't think they burn TDF in Mackenzie. (But if anyone knows different, I would like to know too.)

What is being measured in the tests?

I would not be as concerned about dioxin as I would about other trace contaminants such as 1,3-Butadiene. Since Butadiene is a major ingredient in synthetic rubber, I would be concerned about it getting into the air when tires are burned--even in a "state of the art" burner.

Never heard of 1,3-Butadiene? By concentration and risk it is usually in the top 3 or 4 urban air toxics while dioxin is 10th or so.

Although presented as fuel, tires are a waste. I had thought that BC tires were going to cement kilns for burning (mostly in the US).

The following is taken from a web article about tire recycling in California:

Tire Derived Fuel

Tires are an attractive alternative to coal at cement kilns because they generate revenue from tipping fees (10-25 cents/tire, where as coal costs approximately $30.00/ton). In addition, they have a higher Btu content than coal and hence burn cleaner and reduce emissions of "criteria air pollutants" (pollutants such as SO2 and NOx for which emission standards have been set). Tire incineration at cement kilns also eliminates processing costs associated with recycling or landfilling. Specifically, tires must be processed to produce crumb rubber and by law must be cut or shredded prior to landfilling. Another advantage to combustion at cement kilns is that there is no residue to dispose of since the ash is incorporated into the cement. On the downside, however, cost savings may not be realized if hauling distances are too long.

I wonder what Pacifica PA is paying for TDF or how they are paid to take them. (The superficial answer to this may be misleading.)

Who's doing the shredding? That may be where the payoff is.

5% may not seem like much but considering that a pulp mill power boiler consumes 10's of tons per hour, we can see how all the used tires on Vancouver Island could be disposed of in Port Alberni, and as long as the Port Albernians don't mind breathing it, it would be one of those "win win situations"--Pacifica gets a fuel subsidy and the Island gets rid a troublesome waste. (And very few people know whats really going on.)

Let me know what happens next.

Philip


Philip Fleischer philip@prcn.org