Tire Energy Corp., a Henry County company that burns tires to generate steam energy, has completed its third round of air pollution tests.

The results may be acceptable for issuing a state permit, the Department of Environmental Quality says.

A Henry County citizens group still has questions, though.

Barbara Winn of Citizens for a Clean Environment says the group still is concerned about several issues. They include questions about whether Tire Energy plans to enlarge its plant, and the effectiveness of its quality-control measures for emissions.

Larry McDorman, president of TEC, said he wasn't sure whether the company will enlarge beyond serving the three nearby companies it already supplies with steam energy.

Toward the group's concerns about quality control, McDorman said he's just as interested as they are.

"I want what they want. I want a clean-burning process. I work here every day, and my employees work here, and I don't want an environment that's unsafe or polluting," McDorman said.

The TEC staff consists of 12 people, including McDorman, he said.

Winn said the citizens group will meet Thursday at the Martinsville library to discuss the recent test results.

DEQ plans a public information meeting Oct. 18, and a formal hearing on the proposed new permit will be Oct. 25.

Both DEQ meetings will be at the Henry County Administration Building on Kings Mountain Road.

The most recent tests in July, on a new set of filter bags that collect pollutants, satisfied DEQ requirements for accuracy and will be the basis of a revised air permit, said Frank Adams of DEQ in Roanoke.

Those tests focused on particulate matter and lead.

The July tests were done because emissions from Tire Energy's current process are different from the process Tire Energy used when its current, conditional permit was developed, Adams said.

The company has installed new filter bags twice in its bag house to reduce its emissions of 11 pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, particulates and lead, McDorman said.

Adams said the most recent test, "conducted under optimum conditions with the best bags you can buy," showed the emissions of particulates and lead were within acceptable limits.

"We have met or exceeded all the limits DEQ set for this permit," McDorman said. "Now, it's just a matter of controlling and keeping it there with our instrumentation and so forth," McDorman said.

A DEQ draft earlier this year for a revised permit increased the limits for lead, nitrogen oxide and particulates.

Final determination of those limits is subject to additional negotiation and the results of stack tests, Adams said.

These adjustments could allow the plant to release higher amounts of these pollutants.

Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide can contribute to acid rain.