BORGER, Texas—Tokai Carbon CB Ltd. and Cabot Corp. continue to spend millions of dollars to help eliminate emissions from their plants, expenses that are part of consent decrees previously agreed to with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Tokai Carbon has completed a portion of the emissions reduction work at its carbon black plants as required under those decrees. The work includes nitrogen oxide reduction equipment at the company's Big Spring, Texas, location.
At the company's site in Borger, NOX and sulfur dioxide reduction equipment is now in place. Work is expected to be completed by April on the project that will "dramatically" reduce those emissions from the facility, the company said.
In Addis, La., power generating equipment has been ordered, and NOX and sulfur dioxide reduction equipment will be ordered by the end of this year. This project will be completed by the end of 2022, according to current plans.
Tokai Carbon also has installed detection equipment and created operating procedures aimed at reducing particulate emissions at all three locations.
The company expects to spend a total of $148 million by the end of 2022 for improvements at the plants, including $50 million that already has been committed and another $73 million expected to be spent under the consent decree.
The remaining money involves power generating equipment that Tokai is installing outside of the agreement. This $25 million project at the Addis plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "After completion of the Addis project, TCCB will have process gas generated electricity at all three plants, exporting electricity at two facilities," the company said in a statement.