LONE STAR WILL BURN WASTE FUEL AT CEMENT PLANT; NEW FACILITY COULD BE OPERATIONAL BY FEBRUARY OF 1992

Lone Star Industries of Cape Girardeau Thursday announced plans to convert its coal-burning cement kiln into a system that will burn toxic waste fuels.

Harry Philip, director of operations at the Cape Girardeau cement plant, told about 60 local and state officials Thursday that the new facility could be operating by February 1992.

He said the total cost of permits, construction, and modification of the plant will be about $3 million. At capacity, the plant will employ an additional 30 workers, Philip said, bringing total employment at Lone Star to about 190.

Site preparations for the facility began July 15 and Lone Star plans to begin construction within a few weeks, Philip said.

C P Recycling Inc. of Michigan will assist with permits, construction and initial operation of the plant.

Paul Knowlson, president of C P Recycling, said his company has worked with six other cement kilns in the United States.

Knowlson said the Cape Girardeau plant will be able to process everything from small containers of waste to bulk tractor-trailer and rail-car deliveries. He said the process has proved to be a safe and efficient way of disposing of hazardous wastes.

"From my experience and exposure to this industry, out of the 29 plants burning successfully in the United States, there's never been a tragedy," Knowlson said. "There have been minor spills that were dealt with, with little or no consequence."

Knowlson said one of the challenges of converting from a coal-burning to a waste-burning kiln is changing the public perception that hazardous wastes present a threat to their city.

"Through community activities and public relations, we hope to educate the public and deal with their fears," he said.

Knowlson and Philip said the facility won't burn the types of materials most people think of as hazardous wastes, such as PCBs, dioxins, banned pesticides or herbicides, and reactive or corrosive wastes.

"We do not intend to be permitted to take what most of you people think of as toxins," he said. "We will not be handling those types of materials at this facility."

Philip said 30 percent of the waste fuel will come from waste oils like used automobile crankcase oil; 20 percent will be materials like paint thinner, urethane wood finish and paints; and 10 to 20 percent will be water.

"The balance of the materials are alcohols; radiator solutions; methanol; resin substances like glue and auto-body filler; and acrylic nail polishes," he said.

Philip said the waste fuel conversion will allow Lone Star to continue to upgrade its cement plant here.

He said the company spent more than $9 million last year upgrading the plant, which resulted in significantly reduced emissions, particularly of sulfur-dioxide.

Philip said cement kilns are ideal for burning hazardous wastes. He said materials in the kilns burn at temperatures in excess of the 1,800 degrees required by the EPA for waste incineration.

Also, coal used in most kilns doesn't burn as easily or as cleanly as the waste fuels that will be used at the new facility.

"The experts say that cement kilns are one of the best methods of waste fuel incineration," Philip added.

Lone Star Industries has studied the waste fuel incineration project for the past five years at its Greencastle, Ind., plant.

The 1.1 million-ton-per-year plant in Cape Girardeau would undergo structural changes that must be approved by several state and federal regulatory agencies.

Knowlson said the federal Environmental Protection Agency has studied cement kiln incineration of supplemental fuels for more than 16 years and currently more than 29 of the 104 operating cement kilns in the United States are burning these wastes safely. It also is expected that more than half the industry will be burning such wastes by the end of 1992.

EPA regulations have prevented roughly one billion gallons of organic and petroleum wastes from being buried in landfills. Those wastes can be recycled in cement kilns for energy recovery.

Philip said final approval of the new facility should come after testing early next year. He said Lone Star hopes to have a public open house sometime next summer to allow the public to see the operations and tour the facility.

Lone Star also has received a permit from the state to burn tires in the kiln. Although tires contain a lot of steel belts, the entire tire will be consumed in the process either as energy from the rubber or from the steel, Philip said.