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A passenger car tire has a heat value equivalent to
approximately 20- to 25-pounds of coal, making scrap tires a fuel
alternative that conserves natural resources.
Aquila has burned more than 11.1 million passenger tire
equivalents (PTE) to generate electricity--9.8 million at its Sibley, Mo., power plant,
and 1.3 million PTE at its Lake Road facility in St. Joseph, Mo. These tires
have effectively replaced the equivalent of 182,741 tons of coal that
would have been used for power generation. Aquila coordinates the program
with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).
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Since 1997, Aquila has received scrap tires that have been
shredded by independent companies to be used as tire derived fuel (TDF) at
its Sibley plant. The Lake Road plant began its initial use of TDF in
September 2004. The two plants have burned a combined 224 million pounds of
TDF.
Abandoned tires in vacant lots and streams are a breeding
ground for mosquitoes that spread the potentially fatal West Nile virus.
Each abandoned tire can produce up to one million mosquitoes during a
breeding season. Aquila joined with the MDNR and community organizations in
2003 to help raise awareness of the dangers that abandoned tires present in
spreading the virus.
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