Plant wins DNR tire processing approval
MCS PHOTO
Pictured is a newly enclosed conveyor area at Maryville Carbon Solutions in the Maryville Industrial Park where scrap automotive tires are ground into chunks and mechanically transported into the main part of the plant for further processing. Exposure to high temperatures during a process known as pyrolysis transforms the tire material into a black powder, Bolder Black, which is used as a coloring and reinforcing agent in the manufacture of rubber and plastic goods ranging from windshield wipers to wetsuits.
Maryville Carbon Solutions, a local factory owned by Boulder, Colorado-based Bolder Industries that produces a trademarked form of carbon black, has been granted a Scrap Tire Processing Facility Operating Permit by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The plant, which began operations on a “commission” basis early this year, uses a heat-driven process known as “pyrolysis” to obtain a material tradenamed Bolder Black from scrap automotive tires.
According to an MCS release, the facility is now one of only 21 DNR-certified scrap tire processors statewide.
Carbon black is a coloring and reinforcing agent used to manufacture an almost endless list of rubber and plastic products from gaskets and wetsuits to conveyor belts and O-rings.
In addition to its primary product, “Bolder Black,” the MCS plant is also designed to recover steel from belted tires as well as lubricant-grade oil and various types of “crumb rubber,” which, among other uses, is a component of rubberized asphalt.
The factory also extracts syngas, a type of fuel gas, from the tires during the pyrolysis process and uses it to generate electricity that partially powers the plant.
Pyrolysis is accomplished by subjecting ground-up tire material to temperatures of around 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit in an oxygen-starved environment using what amounts to a huge oven designed to siphon off the oil and gas and leave behind a dark-colored solid that is reduced to ultra-fine powder, which is then mixed with water and formed into tiny pellets for shipment to customers.
A huge grinder renders tires into palm-sized chunks. Other machinery then recovers steel belting and shreds the rubber into ever-smaller pieces until it is ready for the pyrolysis oven, which makes up the factory’s technological heart.
“MCS is one of only a few processors in Missouri that converts scrap tires to valuable products, and is the only processor that will operate an environmentally-friendly, net energy positive facility,” the company release stated, adding that the plant intends to process between 1 and 2 million scrap tires annually.
“It’s absolutely a benefit to our communities to get tires out of our environment,” said DNR Environmental Specialist Kirk Mitchell. “The city of Maryville has fully embraced MCS, and our department is very optimistic about their contributions to the northwest portion of the state and the local community.”
During public dedication ceremonies for the plant last February, company officials estimated that processing 1 million scrap tires will generate production of 7 million pounds of Bolder Black, 1.2 million gallons of oil and 1,600 tons of recovered steel.
Compared to producing a similar amount of “virgin” carbon black from petroleum, they said, the Maryville operation will reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 480,000 tons a year, save 161 million gallons of water and produce 84 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power nearly 8,000 single-family homes.
MCS collects a nominal fee for accepting individual tires from farmers and small businesses and charges a bulk rate for loads of 15 tires or more.
Tires are accepted by appointment only from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. weekdays. To make an appointment, or for more information about tire acceptance, call Debbie Driskell at 660-562-2030, ext. 406, or email [email protected].
The MCS website is located at www.bolderindustries.com.
FILE PHOTO
Maryville Carbon Solutions employees stand beside a large pyrolysis oven that heats shredded automotive tires in order to produce an industrial strengthening and coloring agent known as Bolder Black. The factory, which opened on a “commission” basis early this year, recently received a Scrap Tire Processing Facility Operating Permit from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
