April 8, 2020
While Chemours touts the test results of its new air emission reduction equipment at its Fayetteville facility, the company is being called out for not doing enough to cut back on the amount of chemicals it releases into the Cape Fear River.
Chemours announced in late March that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at the Fayetteville Works plant are being controlled at an efficiency of more than 99%.
Results of the tests run on the plant’s thermal oxidizer, which was installed last year, were turned over to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality officials on March 30.
“We are currently reviewing the report to verify the data,” Zaynab Nasif, the division’s public information officer, said in an email. “It generally takes some time to verify the data, likely a few weeks.”
DAQ staff were on site to observe the testing process of the plant’s thermal oxidizer, she said.
A thermal oxidizer heats volatile organic compounds to the point those compounds are broken down and destroyed before entering the atmosphere.
Chemours Fayetteville Works’ thermal oxidizer in January and February “demonstrated a 99.99%” PFAS destruction efficiency, according to a company press release dated March 30.