Waste to fuel

There is some positive news for Cape Girardeau regarding toxic chemicals produced by industrial processes.

The latest figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show that the production of such byproducts was cut nearly in half from 2004 to 2005, and the release of toxic chemicals continues to be well below figures reported 10 years ago.

The good report can be attributed to efforts by local industries to meet or exceed EPA requirements.

In addition, the two plants that produce most of the toxic chemicals in the Cape Girardeau area -- BioKyowa and Buzzi Unicem -- have changed production processes, upgraded systems to reduce toxic waste and refined monitoring equipment for more precise data.

Together, the Japanese-owned food-supplement company and the Italian-German producer of Portland cement are responsible for 95 percent of the chemical waste produced in Cape Girardeau and 99 percent of the released waste.

In addition to controlling the production and release of chemical waste, plants like Buzzi Unicem's cement operation also use waste from other industries -- paint, ink, solvents -- to fuel the company's massive kiln.

About 30 percent of the company's fuel comes from waste sources, amounting to about 125 million pounds of waste-derived fuel last year. That replaced between 50,000 and 60,000 tons of coal.