Lawndale Recycling receives air quality permit

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has issued a Title V air quality permit to Lawndale Recycling in Cleveland County.

The facility will burn construction and demolition (C&D) wood and chemically untreated wood pallets to generate electricity to recycle postindustrial biomass and plastic materials. The facility will be considered a major source facility that requires a Title V air quality permit because potential emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide are both above 100 tons per year. These emissions will be routed through a baghouse filter.

DAQ conducted an air toxics dispersion model on Lawndale Recycling’s emissions, which the organization says demonstrated that no toxic air pollutant is expected to cause an exceedance of an acceptable ambient level. The final air quality permit includes a requirement that the facility test its boilers within 180 days of beginning operations to confirm the emission estimates used in the modeling and ensure emissions of hazardous air pollutants are below major source thresholds.

DAQ solicited comments on a draft of the air quality permit and shared project information with community organizations in Lawndale and Cleveland County.

In response to public concerns, the facility has opted to no longer include treated, or resinated, wood in the material it will burn, which is expected to reduce the facility’s emissions of hazardous air pollutants, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides from what was originally proposed.

The final permit includes a limit on the facility’s emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide to avoid the applicability of Prevention of Significant Deterioration permitting.

The permit also includes conditions that ensure ambient levels of all pollutants emitted by the facility beyond the facility’s fence line comply with emissions standards, including applicable health-based standards. The facility will be subject to recordkeeping, reporting requirements and regular inspections.