Environmental Issues
Noise & Sound | Traffic |Clean Air & Water | Coqui Frogs | Plantation Forestry | Biomass Energy Advantages | Eucalyptus & The Environment
Clean Air
Air purity is protected by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, whose regulations are enforced by the Hawaii State Department of Health, Clean Air Branch. In addition to the federal regulations, the State of Hawaii has even more stringent rules to protect air quality. Our new facility will generate less than one percent of the emissions produced by the Kawiki Sugar Mill which operated on our millsite in O’okala. Our boiler will be fueled by clean wood – the parts of the tree which won’t make the finished veneer. Smoke from our wood-fired boiler will go through five different processes to remove particulates before being released to the atmosphere. The goal is no visible smoke from our stack. Our engineers are confident that we can meet that goal.
Tradewinds’ cogeneration facility will produce green power to supply our mill and sell surplus back to the grid. The energy generated will replace the need for 83,000 barrels of oil each year, enough to fuel 4,000 cars. Diverting clean processed biofuels from the waste stream takes a huge burden off the already overworked landfills. Burning biomass in our cogeneration facility releases carbon, which is captured and stored in the timber plantations—a carbon neutral process.
Tradewinds’ boiler will be fueled only by wood, not garbage. The boiler is being designed with state-of-the-art equipment that will reduce emissions to levels below those allowed by State and Federal law. The boiler manufacturer will be legally obligated by contract to Tradewinds to build a boiler and emission control system that will meet or exceed the strictest standards. The boiler will emit no visible smoke. Dryer “haze” which rises from heating wood to dry it, will also be captured and treated with state-of-the-art technology. Tradewinds’ air permit was granted by the Department of Health on October 3, 2008.
All driving surfaces at the mill will be paved to eliminate road dust. If for some reason dust occurs, we will treat it by wetting with a water truck or other dust control measures as needed.
These are no noxious smells in a veneer plant. This is a mechanical, not a chemical process. Freshly cut wood simply does not smell. There are no chemicals used in the veneer mill except common household and industrial cleaning agents. Although veneer manufacturing is a cutting, not sawing process, there are incidental saws that create small amounts of sawdust. We will build sawdust-capturing systems around the saws to avoid the possibility of fugitive sawdust.
Clean Water
Water quality is another major concern in Hawaii. Tradewinds will be utilizing the existing well on the site, which is located downstream from O’okala’s water supply. During sugar days, this well generated three million gallons of water per day.
We will use 200,000 gallons of water a day. Storm water will be contained, cleaned and returned to the ecosystem. The veneer production process does not use chemicals, so everything going through and coming from the plant is basically clean, organic matter.
Our primary concern with water will be to capture all storm water from impervious surfaces. This water will be directed to a retaining pond from which it will percolate slowly into the rock. In very heavy storms, overflow water will go to the gulch. The system is designed to ensure that first, the water is clean; and second, it is allowed to emulate its natural course back into the environment. Skimmers will remove any oil or other contaminates which the storm water might have picked up. This same water now runs uncontrolled. “Process Water” (water from the boiler or from wet wood) will be directed to a small retaining pond.
Noise & Sound | Traffic |Clean Air & Water | Coqui Frogs | Plantation Forestry | Biomass Energy Advantages | Eucalyptus & The Environment