Good for
Business,
Great
for Mother Earth
New System Provides
Midlothian Cement with
Alternative Fuel Source
That Conserves Natural
Resources and Drives Profit
Discarded tires are a problem.
That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) says the United States produces millions of
them each year – about 290 million to be
specific. Besides being an eyesore, discarded
tires are a fire hazard and, once they capture
rainwater, become an ideal breeding ground for
mosquitoes that eventually spread disease.
But what if we could take millions of discarded
tires out of the equation while finding an environmentally
friendly purpose for them?
That’s exactly what’s happening at the
Midlothian Cement Plant just south of Dallas.
“I’m truly excited about this because I love the
environment and want my family – especially my
two young daughters – to enjoy it as I have,” says
Midlothian Plant Manager Ricardo Del Valle
Favela. “Our new system is a true win-win. We win
as a company. The environment wins. And our
state and federal environmental agencies have
been completely supportive.”
Since 2008, Midlothian has used a mixture of
fuel sources, including whole tires, to power its
cement production, says Vice President of
Cement Operations Alan Rowley.
Recently, the team added a new system to its
operation that shreds whole tires. Rowley says
the development is allowing the plant to produce
an alternative fuel source that is equally as
efficient as its traditional competitors.
“Tires are an engineered product made of
highly refined rubber, and that is what’s really
important to us when we think of them as an
Tire chips produced
by the shredding
system are moved to
Midlothian’s kiln by a
large conveyor.
8 January/February 2020 The Conveyor | www.martinmarietta.com
/www.martinmarietta.com
