Youngstown, OHIO — SOBE Thermal Energy Systems is a company in Youngstown, Ohio. They currently heat several downtown buildings with steam and now they want to expand, to turn old tires into synthetic gas.

What You Need To Know

  • SOBE Thermal Energy System heats buildings in downtown Youngstown with natural gas

  • The company is seeking an EPA permit for a process call pyrolysis to turn old tires into synthetic gas        

  • Youngstown has placed a one-year moratorium on SOBE to prevent them from using pyrolysis

The city of Youngstown has placed a one-year moratorium on the company, preventing them from launching the system.

“I follow this stuff,” said Silverio Caggiano, a retired Youngstown fire battalion chief, hazmat specialist and on the board of directors for Buckeye Environmental.

“Anybody that does any research on it quickly understands that this technology tends to fail in catastrophic ways,” said Caggiano.

He’s concerned about plans by Youngstown company SOBE Thermal Energy Systems to use a technique called pyrolysis to burn pieces of shredded tire at high heat without oxygen turning them into synthetic gas.

“This is what he’s using to create steam to heat the downtown buildings that still run on steam,” said Caggiano, as he pointed toward a metal building on SOBE’s property. “At one time, there were coal-burning furnaces here.”

SOBE is located in downtown Youngstown, blocks away from the heart of downtown, Youngstown State University and across the street from the jail. It’s in the home of the former Youngstown Steam Heat Plant, which was built in the late 1800s. Currently, the plant runs off natural gas.

Environmentalists are concerned about toxic air emissions from the pyrolysis process in such a populated area. Caggiano says he’s worried about the potential for a fire or accident.

 “The process is extremely dangerous because once you introduce oxygen you’re going to have an explosion,” he said. “When you’re dealing with chlorides and benzines all of these volatile organic chemicals, there’s a corrosiveness to that process. If you do not watch it judiciously, you’ll find you eventually get a leak due to the corrosion.”

SOBE did not respond to requests for an interview about the one-year moratorium, but did send a copy of a statement from the company’s website.

“SOBE respects this cautious approach and is committed to working closely with city officials and community members. Our goal is to foster understanding of the technology’s safety and its environmental benefits,” the statement said in part.

Caggiano is critical of calling the process recycling.  

“This really is greenification of a process that really is not recycling. They’re saying it’s recycling, but recycling is a cyclical thing,” said Caggiano.

SOBE is in the process of getting a permit from the Ohio EPA. If the company is successful, zoning and other regulations may still prevent the company from using their pyrolysis process.