US: Regulators have scheduled a public hearing about Holcim's request to change the way it burns liquid wastes for fuel at its Holly Hill plant in South Carolina.
"We currently burn fuel in one place in the kiln and this permit will allow us to burn it further along in the process," said Holcim spokeswoman Robin DeCarlo. "It does not change the limits, but allows us more flexibility." Holcim burns a variety of hazardous materials as fuel in the place of fossil fuels. That includes waste solvents, oils, out-of-specification intermediates and products from various industries such as the paint, plastics and petroleum industries.
The public hearing is scheduled for 27 January 2015. The notice was released by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The plant is currently allowed to burn waste-derived fuel in its cement kiln. The permit will allow the plant to also treat and burn the fuel in the precalciner.
Holcim is also seeking a permit to construct a new stream channel designed to protect the plant from potential flooding. The project is awaiting approval by the US Army Corps of Engineers. DeCarlo said that the company expects to receive approval to proceed though is not certain when it will occur.
