Scrap Tire Disposal in the US-Mexico Border and possible Recycling Solutions in the context of the BECC Development Process Twelfth Forum of the Border

Scrap Tire Disposal in the US-Mexico Border and possible Recycling Solutions in the context of the

BECC Development Process

Twelfth Forum of the Border Legislative Conference

El Paso, Texas, November 9, 2005

Daniel Chacon

General Manager

Border Environment Cooperation Commission?Border Environment Cooperation Commission?

Established under the framework of the North

American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) along

with its sister institution, the North American

Development Bank.

What is theWhat is the

Highly specialized, binational agency with

responsibility to identify environmental

infrastructure needs and develop projects

to alleviate those problems.

Geographical MandateThe area of responsibility is defined as 100 kilometers (62

miles) on the US side and 300 kilometers (187 miles)

on the Mexican of the border.This region covers an area of 750,000 Miles

and a population of 22.3 Million peopleThis region covers

important urban centers like San Diego,

Tijuana, Hermosillo, Cd. Juarez-El Paso- Las

Cruces, Chihuahua, Monterrey, y Saltillo.This reality demands new

strategic actions.

is what we’re all aboutis what we’re all about

BECC’s technical nature allows it to help plan

improvements to the infrastructure of

communities which ultimately translate to

improvements in the quality of life of the

residents of those areas.

Certify environmental infrastructure

projects along the U.S.-Mexico border for

funding by NADB and other funding

institutions.

Quality of LifeQuality of Life

Nature of BECC Nature of BECC Totally integrated bilingual, binational staff

empowered to work on either side of the border, on projects for either nation.

Transparency in all processes and total access to all information regarding the projects and all actions.

Unique international organization facing challenges of developing infrastructure on both sides of international border, involving two sets of federal, state and local governments, and two different cultures.

Partnerships established with agencies with complimentary missions – IBWC, USDA, CILA, CNA.

Types of ProjectsTypes of ProjectsWater supply

Wastewater treatment

Solid waste management

Air quality

Public Transportation

Clean and efficient energy

Municipal planning improvement

Water management

Primary FocusPrimary Focus

Expanded Areas

Expanded Areas

Related Areas

Related Areas

Industrial and hazardous waste pollution

Water conservation

Residential water and wastewater hookups

Recycling and waste reduction.

Project Certification Criteria


The project must address a human health or environmental need. There must be an environmental assessment conducted. It must comply with applicable environmental and cultural resource laws and regulations.

Is the appropriate technology for the project and the community being utilized? Is there an appropriate plan for operation and maintenance, safety, quality assurance, training, and emergencies? Does the project comply with applicable EPA or SEMARNAT rules and regulations?

Human Health and

Environmental Need

Technical Feasibility



Was a comprehensive community participation plan implemented and documented to assure public access and participation?

Community Participation

The project must be designed according to sustainability principles to assure the protection and sustainable use of resources. Water management and re-use are key requirement to avoid depletion of this already scare resource.

Sustainable Development

(Continued)

Revenues must cover debt, operation and maintenance. The Fee/Rate must cover all costs. Applicant must demonstrate capacity to provide service at a reasonable price, make capital improvements, and provide accounting and financial reports as necessary.

Financial Feasibility and

Project Management

Technical Assitance

12/2004

61 comunities in Mexico$ 11.06 mil.

61 comunities in Mexico$ 11.06 mil.

70 comunities in the US$ 19.63 mil.

70 comunities in the US$ 19.63 mil.

$ 30.69 MDDApproved

California

$ 1.89 mil.

Arizona$ 3.31

mil.

Nuevo Mexico$ 3.37

mil.

Texas$ 11.06

mil.

Baja Californi

a$ 1.70

mil.

Sonora$ 2.73

mil.

Chihuahua

$ 2.31 mil.

Coahuila

$ 1.10 mil.

Nuevo Leon

$ 0.35 mil.

Tamaulipas$ 2.2 mil.

Certified Projects

California11

proyectos$

182.59 mil.

Arizona12 proy.

$ 106.22

mil.

Nuevo Mexico7 proy.

$ 52.65 mil.

Texas38 proy.

$ 655.88

mil.

Baja Californi

a9 proy.

$ 497.19 mil.

Sonora11 proy.

$ 172.76

mil.

Chihuahua

7 proy.$

195.08 mil.

Coahuila

3 proy.$

154.80 mil.

Nuevo Leon1 proy.$ 1.40

mil.

Tamaulipas

5 proy.$

232.60 mil.

69 in US$ 997.34 MDD

69 in US$ 997.34 MDD

36 in Mexico$ 1.18 BDD

36 in Mexico$ 1.18 BDD

105 Projects

Estimated Cost -- $2.18 BDDCovers more than 8 Million people 12/2004

Scrap tire generation

• In the United States, about 280 million scrap tires are generated per year (one per person)

• In Mexico, about 40 million scrap tires are generated per year

• Many more used tires are imported into Mexico, both legally and illegally, contributing extensively to the scrap tire problem

I. Scrap tire overviewII. Human health and environmental

effects III. U.S. regulatory framework

IV. Mexican regulatory framework

V. BECC certification criteria

Stockpiled tires in Mexico’s border cities





México Estimated tires in piles

Mexicali 2,000,000

Ciudad Juárez 5,000,000

Matamoros 800,000

Reynosa 500,000

Nuevo Laredo 100,000

Piedras Negras 50,000

Ciudad Acuña 50,000





Millions of tires consumed

% of tires consumed

Tire-derived fuel 115 41%

Other uses

Civil engineering 40% 14%

Ground rubber (incl. rubber asphalt)

33% 12%

Export 15% 5%

Cut/punched 8% 3%

Misc/agriculture 7% 2%

Total use 218 78%

Total scrap tires generated annually 281

What happens to tires in the U.S.?





What happens to tires in Mexico?

% of tires consumed

Disposed of in piles 91%

Ground Rubber Between 2% and 5%

Burned for fuel Between 5% and 15%





Tire-derived fuel

Fuel BTU/lbPine wood 9,100

Bituminous coal 11,000 – 14,000

Coke 14,000

Tire chips 14,000 – 15,000

Fuel oil 18,000 – 19,000





Tire-derived fuel (cont.)• Most developed market for scrap tires worldwide• Depending on the incinerator and primary fuel, tires can be

burned whole or shredded• Used as a supplemental fuel with solid fuels such as coal or

wood• Used predominantly by the cement industry, also by power

plants, pulp & paper mills, and steel mills• Emissions profile is similar to coal’s, but with more

particulate matter and zinc and less SO2

41% of scrap tires generated in the U.S. in 2001 were used as fuel





Civil engineering applications

• Structural backfill

• Erosion control

• Landfill liners and covers

• Municipal sewage treatment

• Septic system drainage fields





Civil engineering applications (cont.)

• Leaching from the metal in the tire chips is a concern

• Formation of “hot spots” in tire shreds used in fill projects is a concern

• Bacterial activity

14% of scrap tires generated in the U.S. in 2001 were used in civil engineering projects





Ground rubber applications• Rubber-modified asphalt• Playgrounds and athletic surfaces• Molded & bound products

– Livestock mats– Speed bumps– Railroad crossings– Roof shingles

• New tire manufacturing

12% of scrap tires generated in U.S. in 2001 were recycled into ground rubber





Ground rubber applications (cont.)

Rubber-modified asphalt

• Largest use of ground rubber—12 million tires/yr

• Withstands hot and cold temperatures better than traditional asphalt

• Lower life-cycle costs – AZ study found 40% lower life-cycle cost over 25 years

• Increased traffic safety due to increased skid resistance and decreased maintenance needs

• Decreased traffic noise by 4-6 decibels





Other uses for scrap tires• Retreading (for tire casings in good condition)

• Pyrolysis

– 40% carbon black

– 25% pyrolysis oil

– 20% hydrocarbon gases

– 15% steel





Financial viability

• Supply — # of locally available scrap tires• Location — Distance of tire stockpiles from the recycling

center, and distance from markets for the end product• Size of system — economies of scale• Labor — costs of transporting, handling, and processing the

tires• Condition — tires that have been in stockpiles may be too

dirty or degraded for some options• Fuel costs — for TDF, cost of competing fuels such as coal

and natural gas

Viability of any tire disposal or recycling project is highly dependent on several project-specific factors





Health effects• Tires provide habitat for vectors of human disease

– Mosquitoes• Yellow fever, dengue fever, malaria, encephalitis and the

West Nile virus – Rodents

• Rabies, hantavirus, lyme disease, and the plague

• Transport of tires spreads invasive species– Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) – Yellow Fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti )





Scrap tire pile hazards: Fire• Highly combustible

– Ignition by arson or lightning strikes• 20 major tire fires annually in the U.S.• Costly and lengthy firefighting efforts;

substantial clean up problems • Sources of environmental contamination

– Air– Surface water and ground water– Soils





Human health effects of open tire fires

• Nearby residents • Emergency responders• Acute and chronic health effects

• Irritation to skin, eyes, and mucous membranes• Respiratory effects• Central nervous system depression• Cancer





Overarching themes

• Critical tire management strategy—to eliminate scrap tire piles

• Fire prevention planning and training is paramount for existing tire stockpiles

• All options discussed (tire-to-energy, civil engineering, ground rubber) have the potential to be certified under the BECC criteria

• A binational assessement is requiered for legal and environmental responsibility in the whole distribution process like tax evasion, the fraudulent misuse of the disposal fees paid in the US and environmental and health risks due to mismanagement of scrap tires originated in the US

Disposal options in the Mexican Border

Several Recycling options have been analyzed or developedrecently in the Mexican side of the Border: Pilot Project of Pirolisis in Matamoros; Canadian Pirolisis Option presented to Juarez; Australian ground rubber technology presented to Juarez; llancreto from Cemex with one street paved in San Pedro Garza, Nuevo Leon and other street paved in Tijuana, Baja California; TDF in cement kilns in Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua

Border 2012 Goals to clean up of scrap tires sites with funding from EPA and SEMARNAT

• El Centinela in Mexicali

• INNOR site in Mexicali

• Site in the landfill of Juareze

Status of the clean up of scrap tires sites

• From 2004 to 2005 some 1.3 million tires have been disposed

• 420,000 from INNOR• 400,000 from El Centinela• 40,000 from 6 Delegations of Tijuana• 550,000 from the landfill of Juarez

Funding sources for the clean up of scrap tires sites in the border (2004-2005)

• Semarnat 310,000 Dls

• USEPA 225,000

• Gov. of Chihuahua 40,000

• Municipality of Juarez 40,000

• Gov. of Baja Calif. 200,000

Documents

Scrap Tire Disposal in the US-Mexico Border and possible Recycling Solutions in the context of the BECC Development Process Twelfth Forum of the Border