Some South Park residents are concerned about the Lafarge Corp.'s plan to burn a million tires a year as fuel for the huge kiln at the company's cement-making plant on West Marginal Way.

An application was submitted to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for a two-year permit to burn whole car and truck tires. A "mid-kiln tire injector" would be installed to feed whole tires - from car tires to 18-wheel truck tires - into the kiln's burner. The kiln is heated to 2,000 degrees and limestone, sand, iron and clay are baked together to make cement.

If OK'd by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the two-year temporary approval could begin in mid-March.

Most of the fuel used to heat the kiln is coal and petroleum coke, said Mike Depew, technical manager at the Lafarge plant at 5400 West Marginal Way S.W.

Tires currently make up about 20 percent of the fuel while the rest of the burning mixture consists of waste oil.

Lafarge has been burning shredded tires with a permit since 1991. However whole tires are a cheaper source of fuel, Depew said. Shredding costs money and the nearest source is in Portland. Whole tires, on the other hand, don't carry the expense of shredding or shipping because they're readily available here, he said.

The steel belts in radial tires would supply some of the iron needed to make cement.

The company's goal is to reduce its use of coal and petroleum coke by about 20 percent and replace that fuel with whole tires, Depew said. The increase in the number of tires burned would be substantial.

Currently Lafarge burns approximately 5 tons of tires per day, according to Depew. A manager at the Goodyear tire store on Fauntleroy Way said the average car tire weighs from 18 to 27 pounds depending on the size of the car. So if the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approves the proposal, Lafarge will burn from 27 to 41 tons of tires per day.

By another measure, Lafarge is now burning the equivalent in tire chips between 550 and 830 tires per day. If the two-year temporary permit is approved, Lafarge will be burning more than 3,000 tires a day.

During the temporary period, monitoring equipment would be tuned to detect emissions continually from the tire burning, said Fred Austin, a technical engineer with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Changing the fuel mix will alter emissions at the plant. The amount of nitrous oxide could decrease from its current levels, but the amount of carbon monoxide might increase, Depew said. Levels of both nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide would be continuously measured at the Lafarge plant, he said. There would also be emission testing four times a year.

The Lafarge kiln runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week for most of the year. However it must be turned off for routine maintenance about 10 percent of the time, Depew said.

South Park resident Beth Lynch is pleased Lafarge will monitor emissions for such substances as formaldehyde, but there are other toxic chemical pollutants from tire burning that will not be monitored, she said. Two examples are benzene and toluene, both proven carcinogenic substances, she said.

In recent years, air-pollution monitoring devices have been temporarily placed at various sites around West Seattle, South Park and adjoining areas to measure air pollutants. Lynch thinks it's time to bring them back.

Lafarge's permit application raised concerns because the company was cited three years ago by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for emitting bleach-like smells. The smell of chlorine has been reported to the agency from Pigeon Point to Burien over the years, although it has little to do with tire burning.

If the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approves the two-year permit, Lafarge could apply for permission to permanently rely on burning tires to heat its kiln.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.

By Tim St. Clair

Some South Park residents are concerned about the Lafarge Corp.'s plan to burn a million tires a year as fuel for the huge kiln at the company's cement-making plant on West Marginal Way.

An application was submitted to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for a two-year permit to burn whole car and truck tires. A "mid-kiln tire injector" would be installed to feed whole tires - from car tires to 18-wheel truck tires - into the kiln's burner. The kiln is heated to 2,000 degrees and limestone, sand, iron and clay are baked together to make cement.

If OK'd by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the two-year temporary approval could begin in mid-March.

Most of the fuel used to heat the kiln is coal and petroleum coke, said Mike Depew, technical manager at the Lafarge plant at 5400 West Marginal Way S.W.

Tires currently make up about 20 percent of the fuel while the rest of the burning mixture consists of waste oil.

Lafarge has been burning shredded tires with a permit since 1991. However whole tires are a cheaper source of fuel, Depew said. Shredding costs money and the nearest source is in Portland. Whole tires, on the other hand, don't carry the expense of shredding or shipping because they're readily available here, he said.

The company's goal is to reduce its use of coal and petroleum coke by about 20 percent and replace that fuel with whole tires, Depew said. The increase in the number of tires burned would be substantial.

Currently Lafarge burns approximately 5 tons of tires per day, according to Depew. A manager at the Goodyear tire store on Fauntleroy Way said the average car tire weighs from 18 to 27 pounds depending on the size of the car. So if the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approves the proposal, Lafarge will burn from 27 to 41 tons of tires per day.

By another measure, Lafarge is now burning the equivalent in tire chips between 550 and 830 tires per day. If the two-year temporary permit is approved, Lafarge will be burning more than 3,000 tires a day.

During the temporary period, monitoring equipment would be tuned to detect emissions continually from the tire burning, said Fred Austin, a technical engineer with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

Changing the fuel mix will alter emissions at the plant. The amount of nitrous oxide could decrease from its current levels, but the amount of carbon monoxide might increase, Depew said. Levels of both nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide would be continuously measured at the Lafarge plant, he said. There would also be emission testing four times a year.

The Lafarge kiln runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week for most of the year. However it must be turned off for routine maintenance about 10 percent of the time, Depew said.

South Park resident Beth Lynch is pleased Lafarge will monitor emissions for such substances as formaldehyde, but there are other toxic chemical pollutants from tire burning that will not be monitored, she said. Two examples are benzene and toluene, both proven carcinogenic substances, she said.

In recent years, air-pollution monitoring devices have been temporarily placed at various sites around West Seattle, South Park and adjoining areas to measure air pollutants. Lynch thinks it's time to bring them back.

Lafarge's permit application raised concerns because the company was cited three years ago by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for emitting bleach-like smells. The smell of chlorine has been reported to the agency from Pigeon Point to Burien over the years, although it has little to do with tire burning.

If the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approves the two-year permit, Lafarge could apply for permission to permanently rely on burning tires to heat its kiln.

The public comment period concerning Lafarge's permit application has been extended until Feb. 10. Mail comments to: Fred Austin; Puget Sound Clean Air Agency; 110 Union St., Suite 500; Seattle WA 98101. Or e-mail comments to freda@pscleanair.org. Fax: (206) 343-7522.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.