Air regulatory impacts of the use of tire‐derived fuel

Abstract

AbstractAs a fuel, scrap tires are an economically viable choice to supplement existing sources. In addition, policies promoting the use of scrap tires as a fuel can reduce their potential for creating environmental hazards. For example, when in stockpiles, scrap tires cause emissions of toxic compounds from arson‐caused fires, and can be a breeding ground for disease‐carrying insects. The growing number of industrial applications where scrap tires can serve as a supplemental fuel includes cement kilns, the pulp and paper industry, and utility boilers.Over the past decade, there have been a number of emissions studies on scrap tire and tire‐derived fuel (TDF) supplemented combustion. In many cases, co‐combustion with TDF has been shown to decrease emissions. This paper summarizes how supplementing combustion with TDF affects emissions of different pollutants.Scrap tire and TDF combustion are not currently regulated by a specific New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) or Most Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standard because they typically regulate an emission unit, not a fuel type. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently debating how to regulate facilities that supplement their combustion with scrap tires. This paper discusses some of those options.