Grand Rapids'
Crutchall Resource & Recycling says it's investigating the use of recycled asphalt roof shingles as a renewable heating fuel and an alternative to coal.
The company grinds used asphalt roof shingles that paving companies use for pavement, but recently company leaders completed testing for the feasibility of using the ground up shingles as a renewable heating fuel.
Crutchall sent samples to
SGS Group, an independent testing laboratory in Illinois. Tests showed the shingles burn at the same BTU value as mid-grade coal, says Ellie Kane, a partner in Crutchall Resource & Recycling. Emissions testing showed shingles burn cleaner than coal but leave more ash. Kane says the company plans to have the ash tested to determine if it's recyclable.
"The Department of Environmental Quality is looking at the testing and results," Kane says. "Michigan State University, Lansing Power and Light and the City of Wyandotte are looking at shingles as an alternative fuel. We're working to see how it can be classified."
If recycled shingles are approved as an alternative fuel, Kane says Crutchall will be ready to launch its product in the renewable energy market.
"First and foremost we should always be good stewards of what's in our own backyard," Kane says. "We ship coal in from other states; shouldn't we use sources right here in our own state? Right now we have a minimum of 30,000 tons of shingles in our recycling yards waiting to be ground."
Crutchall opened its first asphalt shingle recycling yard in June 2007 at 631 Chestnut SW, Grand Rapids. Since then the company has opened shingle recycling yards in Lansing, Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Flint and Warren and has tripled its revenue.
The Michigan Recycling Coalition named Crutchall the 2009 Business Recycler of the Year.
Source: Ellie Kane, Crutchall Resource & Recycling
Related ArticlesGrand Rapids asphalt recycler aims to create 67 jobs and four new locationsDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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