Concerns raised over plans for pyrolysis plant in Swansea’s Westfield Industrial Estate

Plans to heat and break down thousands of tonnes of tyres at high temperatures at a new plant in Swansea have sparked concerns from people in the area.
A company called Tyregen UK Ltd wants to break down around 7,650 tonnes of waste tyres per year using a process called pyrolysis – incineration without oxygen – to separate the oil and black powder which went into their manufacture.
It said the oil and black powder, known as carbon black, would be used by tyre companies in new tyres. Some of the gas captured as part of the process, it said, would be reused at the plant at Westfield Industrial Estate, Waunarlwydd, with the remainder treated before being released into the atmosphere via a chimney stack.
Swansea Council’s pollution control department is considering a permit application from Tyregen UK Ltd, and the public can submit comments as part of a consultation until October 2. Planning permission is already in place to process waste tyres and plastics at the site.
Councillors representing areas in and around Waunarlwydd said feelings were running high with residents worried about pollution and what would happen if there was a fire or accident at the plant.
Waunarlwydd councillor Wendy Lewis said many people were objecting, as had she. “I have had many messages not only from Waunarlwydd but Gowerton and Cockett asking my advice,” she said. “We are a city who pride ourselves on pollution control and this would be hideous for us in Waunarlwydd.”
Cllr Susan Jones, who represents Gowerton, said: “I have had many of the residents comment on this installation – all are against.”
A spokesman for Tyregen UK Ltd said the proposed unit would be 30m by 8m and enclosed within a larger industrial building except for the chimney stack.
He said: “The operation is fundamentally about recycling, and therefore preserving the valuable components of a used tyre, so we absolutely won’t be burning any tyres.”
He said the tyre industry was committed to using more recycled material in new tyres and that the proposal would, if given the go-ahead, create jobs.
The council has published various documents about Tyregen UK Ltd’s application on its website. In one of them the company summarised its proposal as “a pyrolysis plant to thermo-chemically process pre-treated tyres to produce fuel oil and carbon black, whilst also producing pyrolysis gas that is cleaned prior to use to fuel the process”.
The document said there would be “no significant release of pollution to land or water” and that significant odour was unlikely. The nearest property was said to be 230m away. Documents also said the plant would shut down if there was a problem until normal operations could be restored, and that two 10,000-litre water tanks would be sited there in case of a fire. The council will make a decision within three months of the consultation’s end on October 2.
Cllr Lewis said the proposed unit would be near a nursing home, school and accommodation complex for older people. She feared people would be stuck indoors for days in the event of a fire.
Gowerton resident Val Higgon said the area already experienced significant traffic congestion and that more and more new homes were being built. “We cannot afford to allow any more pollutants in this area,” she said. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​