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This is equivalent to 17 million barrels of crude oil and represents about 0.24 percent of the U.S. Nationally scrap tires represent a potential energy source of 1.01 quadrillion Btu per year based on a discard rate of 300 million tires per year each weighing an average 22.5 lbs with 15,000 Btu per pound. Another major reason for combusting tires as fuel is to decrease the number of scrap tires disposed in landfills or stockpiles. Further, they are compact, have a consistent composition and low moisture content-all benefits to the fuel user. The primary reason for using tire fuels is to save fuel costs. The heating value of an average size passenger tire is between 13,000 and 15,000 Btu/lb., which compares with about 10,000 to 12,000Btu/lb. Scrap tires make an excellent fuel because of their high heat value. In earlier studies, EPA concluded, “With proper emission controls, burning tires for their fuel energy can be an environmentally sound method of disposing a difficult waste.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) described TDF as a high Btu-value fuel with lower emissions, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, than comparable traditional fuels, in a 2009 Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. More than 52 percent of the 300 million scrap tires generated annually are consumed as tdf in these facilities providing a cleaner and more economical alternative to traditional fuels. Industrial facilities across the country, including cement kilns, pulp and paper mills and electric utilities use tdf as a supplemental fuel to increase boiler efficiency, decrease air emissions and lower costs. TDF is the oldest and most developed market for scrap tires in the U.S. Scrap tires are used as fuel either shredded or whole depending on the type of combustion unit. This may include whole tire or tires processed into uniform, flowable pieces that satisfy the specifications of the end-user. Tire-derived-fuel (tdf) is a fuel derived from scrap tires of all kinds.
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