Document MGz3XgxyMpjkRvbknqgRxgxyz

Tests Pave Way for Alternative to Landfill Disposal of ACM Recent tests of a process to thermally change the structure of asbestos fibers appear to have been successful and within a year may offer an alternative to landfill disposal of asbestoscontaining material (ACM). An addi tional benefit of this process would be the elimination of future liability for the generator from this waste, which currently depends upon the owner or operator of a waste disposal site com plying with the provisions of the EPA's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs). When NESHAPs, 40 CFR 61, Sub part M, was written, paragraphs 61.152 and 61.156 made reference to "alter native methods'' of emission control and disposal for asbestos. Initial results of a demonstration sanctioned by EPA in West Virginia in 1987 in dicate that a feasible alternative may be available to meet these requirements as early as the end of 1988. Vitrifix of North'America, Inc. con structed a demonstration "melter" in New Martinsville, W. Va., which con ducted tests in June of 1987 that were witnessed by John O. Copeland of the EPA's Emission Standards and Engineering Division. According to Jack R. Farmer, division director, the results indicated that "the pro cess. . .continuously produced an asbestos-free product." Technically, the process involves the electric heating of a glass medium to a molten state. ACM mixed with addi tional waste glass is processed con tinuously in the "melter" during a span of 10 to 12 hours. Asbestos is "thermally destroyed" at about 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit--the "melter" operates several hundred degrees above this. At this time only one commercial "melter" has been proven in opera tion, a 5-ton-per-day unit in Scotland in late 1986. This was developed for the United Kingdom's Department of the Environment and was used at a large single contaminated site. PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT DOW-1867 Issue Highlights: Government Resources State Accreditation Training Department News NAC's Bulletin Board National Office Move Current plans are to build several plants in the Northeast and on the West Coast, areas where disposal costs at landfills can be from S80 to S10Q per cubic yard. At these prices, accord ing to Dr. David Roberts, executive vice president of Vitrifix, the economics will make these pilot plants viable and profitable. If all permits and other government paper re quirements can be processed with no major snags, the first chosen site can be operational by the end of 1988 or during the first quarter of 1989. It would have a capacity of about 50 tons per day. In a letter to Roberts dated Nov. 25. 1988, the EPA stated that it would not be a violation of NESHAPs regula tions for asbestos waste disposal if a generator delivered ACM to such a facility for processing. Additionally, the EPA is considering making new rules that would encompass defining such a "melter" as an active waste disposal site for asbestos. Also, Roberts has stated that the end product (solidified asbesies/gb>.s material) will have some low-grade commercial applications such as gravel to mix with asphalt, the "grit" on sandpaper and as a filter bed medium. The implications of this process for "destroying" asbestos generated in major urban areas should be signifi cant. If the initial plants prove viable and a nationwide network of "melters" is developed, limited landfill resources could be freed for other uses. By John Dietrichs. Asbestos Abatement Sen ices. Inc. CO --I o CD CO Reprinted from N.A.C. Council Curr ents Page II1 May/June 1 988 CD CO 1700