7 “Green” Reasons to use Tire-Derived Fuel (TDF)
1 – There are at least 275 million scrap tires in stockpiles in the U.S. Source: Environmental Protection Agency, “Management of Scrap Tires,” Last Updated April, 2005
2 – Scrap tires pose three environmental threats:
- They are an extremely difficult to extinguish fire hazard
- They trap rainwater which can breed mosquitoes that spread diseases
- They are bulky, virtually indestructible hazards that often work their way back up to the surface of landfills after burialSource: Environmental Protection Agency, “Profile of the Rubber and Plastic Industry, 2nd Edition,” EPA/310-R-05-003, February 2005
3 – Tires burn cleaner than coal. Using tires as fuel can reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as much as 40% and more without adversely affecting other kiln emissions.
4 – The complete combustion of TDF in cement kilns (due to extremely high temperatures, a positive oxygen atmosphere, and a long gas residence time) eliminates products of incomplete combustion (PICs) or black smoke or odors being released from the stack.
5 – Substituting TDF for coal, results in the reduction of methane emissions and dust emissions from coal mining.
6 – New residues are not generated from TDF because the ash produced is directly incorporated into the clinker.
7 – When using TDF, nonrenewable fuel (coal, oil) consumption is lower, thus contributing to natural resource preservation.