Empire Diversified Energy expansion plans concern some Follansbee residents

The company acquired the former Coppers [actually Koppers] Chemical plant and is continuing its expansion in that area.

"We've cleaned up that site and on the theme of renewable energy we started with this recycling program for medical waste,” Empire Diversified Energy President Scott Ewusiak said.

"That feedstock is sent through a chipper/shredder to get it into smaller pieces like you chewing food,” Bernard Brown, chief technology officer for the company, explained. “You're breaking it down, then it goes into the system."

RELATED: Port of West Virginia shows legislators what it has to offer

The system is operated at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. Brown said it's not incineration because oxygen is absent from the process. The West Virginia legislature recently passed House Bill 4084 that approves this kind of process within the state.

"This system has been approved by the state of California also that has some of the toughest air emissions,” Brown said.

Developers said it's a closed system. Gases are fed back into it and there are no emissions. The group said this expansion will create 30 jobs. [Quite an invention if gases are produced and then disappear inside? Perhaps the gases are fed to the combustion chamber to be burned with natural gas? DGN]

Follansbee Mayor David Velogol said he’s heard concerned from some residents about the emissions. “I have heard those concerns and I can see where people are rightly concerned,” Velegol said. “I'm the mayor and I'm also a chemical engineer and I work with oil refineries and chemical plants, and I know the strictness of the EPA when they go through and examine these."

The Port of West Virginia hosted a day-long tour of their development earlier this week. "We're trying to make a clean logistics terminal,” Ewusiak said. “There's nothing like that in our area where we could bring in different agricultural things, fertilizer to shipping containers like you see on the sea."

"I live in this community,” Velegol said. “I don't live in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh and same with Scottie. We live in this community, and we have to breathe this same air and it's really important to us that we have clear technology and clean air in this area."

The company currently is in the permitting process to build this processor.