Texas agency considers GWE tire dump cleanup proposal

ATLANTA, Texas (July 16)—The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission is considering a proposal from Green Waste to Energy Inc. to take over the cleanup of more than 30 million tires at the Gibson waste tire dump near the northeastern Texas town of Atlanta. If the proposal is accepted, Port Gibson, Miss.-based GWE would use the tires to produce oil, gas, carbon black and other products using its "catalytic vacuum distillation" process. The process is similar to pyrolysis, said GWE General Manager Gerry Brent, but uses much lower temperatures for reduced energy costs and superior-quality end products. The tire pile, created by now-bankrupt tire recycler Bud Gibson, contains more than 30 million tires, 90 percent of them shredded.