News Releases - 2000

Facilities Should Be Adequate to Process Recalled Tires in Illinois

Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency anticipates there will be adequate facilities in Illinois for processing used and recalled tires in an environmentally safe manner.

"Although some short-term adjustments may have to be made in transferring tires around the state, we anticipate a small increase from the Bridgestone/Firestone recalled tires will not be a problem," said Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner.

He noted that even prior to the recent recall, about 15 million used tires were recycled or used as tire derived fuel in power plants in Illinois. The Bridgestone/Firestone recall will add about 5 percent, the Illinois EPA estimates, based on information supplied by the company, that no more than 750,000 of their recalled tires will be processed in Illinois.

About 75 percent of used tires processed in Illinois are shredded and used as tire-derived fuel to create energy and the remainder are reprocessed into other useful materials.

Illinois EPA estimates the state currently has potential capacity to process about 22 million used tires each year.

Most of the Bridgestone/Firestone recalled tires being processed in Illinois are expected to go the New Heights Power and Recovery facility in Ford Heights. At this facility that began operations this year, scrap tires are processed to be reused in a variety of ways. Some are processed through a cryogenic or freezing method to make crumb rubber. This material is used for playgrounds and running tracks, rubber mats and other products. Other tires are shredded at the facility and used as fuel to produce electricity.

The crumb rubber operations at New Heights can process an estimated 3.7 million used or recalled tires per year. The electric generating unit is limited by its permit parameters to using about 5 million tires per year for fuel. It has best available control technology, including baghouse controls for particulates, nitrogen oxide controls, and sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride scrubbers.

Tires converted into fuel for power production are low-polluting and fuel efficient.

The emissions from the plant are less than for coal-fired power plants and from the use of coal mixed with tires, for example.

The facility also has strict reporting requirements on its operations, including sophisticated computer monitors that measure real-time emissions. Illinois EPA field staff also make frequent on-site visits.

In August, Illinois EPA sent a violation notice to the facility, citing such issues as failure to meet some of the minimum combustion temperature requirements and exceeding some sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide emission limits. There is no indication the violations caused any significant increase in air emissions.

New Heights has responded that it has made adjustments in its equipment and operations to come into compliance. Some other findings are in dispute and will be discussed with the company at a meeting in early October.

"Illinois EPA will continue to make sure the facility meets its permit requirements. New Heights will also have to pass rigorous emission stack tests before receiving their air pollution control operating permit," Skinner stated.

Skinner noted New Heights had permitted authority to accept and process tires for crumb rubber and for fuel for electric generation prior to the Bridgestone/Firestone recall. In addition, the company has indicated it would give priority to recalled tires from Illinois and did not anticipate having to turn away other customers.

The recalled tires are no different than other used tires in terms of their environmental impact when converted into fuel for power generation.

Illinois EPA's Used Tire Program is a national leader in eliminating open piles of tires that can breed disease-carrying mosquitoes and cause fires. It works with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs in developing markets and facilities for safely disposing of used tires. When the Illinois General Assembly banned landfill disposal of tires starting in 1994, it also encouraged alternative methods, including use as tire-derived fuel. As a result, several power plants and boilers in Illinois now blend tires with coal.