Buzzi Unicem will invest more than $1.5 million in upgrades to its Cape Girardeau cement plant if changes to its hazardous waste permit are approved.
During an informational meeting Wednesday, company representatives along with Missouri Department of Natural Resources and EPA officials answered questions about the company's plans to burn more hazardous waste in the future. About 25 people attended the meeting.
For about 20 years, the company, formerly known as Lonestar Industries, has used hazardous waste -- including solvents, used paints and inks -- as fuel to heat its kiln.
There are two combustion chambers within its kiln and hazardous waste is used exclusively in one of those chambers. The other chamber uses coal, but the company would like to begin testing the use of hazardous waste in that chamber, called a calciner, as well.
"Coal is very expensive. It's a very energy-intensive process. We have to heat materials to 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit, and it takes a lot of coal and energy to do that. If we were not burning hazardous waste, we would be burning close to 500 tons per year of coal. Right now, we're able to replace just over 50 percent of that with hazardous waste. By expanding, that will allow us to burn even less coal," said Paul Schell, environmental engineer at Buzzi Unicem.
By reducing the amount of coal it burns even more, the company will save money, allowing it to operate more cost effectively and preserve jobs, Schell said. It would require an initial investment to convert its facility to use more hazardous waste fuel. About $1 million in upgrades will be required to modify the kiln to burn more hazardous waste, he said. The company also plans to spend about $500,000 to add a railcar unloading facility with two new wash and storage tanks to allow for cleaning of the railcars. Currently, all of its hazardous waste fuel is delivered by truck. It comes to Buzzi from off-site manufacturers or third-party hazardous waste blenders.
There are many benefits to using hazardous waste, Schell said. Its emissions are similar to coal and even less than coal on some specific pollutants including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, he said.
"You're conserving natural resources by not having to burn that coal. You're also providing a safe and effective way to dispose of the hazardous waste that typically would just go to an incinerator and be burned with no real product, just burned for the sake of burning it. We can capture the energy in those things and keep it out of incinerators and out of landfills," Schell said.
Robert Adams, who lives not far from Buzzi on Highway 74, said when he first heard about the company's hazardous waste permit modification request he was concerned, but after attending the meeting is comfortable with the proposal.
"When you hear hazardous waste your mind goes all sorts of directions," said Adams. "You need to find out. It's your duty to do so. I see nothing here that's of any bother. Those are things you've got in your own house. I understand what they're doing."
Jeff Timmerman, who lives not far from Buzzi, said he believed the hazardous wastes the company is burning are good fuel choices.
Most of the people who attended the informational meeting were representatives of local government, the chamber of commerce and area economic development agencies.
A copy of the company's permit modification request can be found at the Cape Girardeau Public Library or by visitingdnr.mo.gov/env/hwp/permits/mod981127319/information.htm. The DNR will accept public comments in writing or online through Dec. 30 on the request. After those are reviewed, a draft permit will be put out for a second round of public comments. If requested, a public hearing will be held at that time, before a final decision on whether or not to issue the permit, said Darleen Groner, operating facilities unit chief with DNR.
The process Buzzi is proposing isn't new to Missouri. Continental Cement in Hannibal, Mo., has used the same process successfully for many years, Groner said.
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