Last week, six years of problems surrounding the aluminum dross operation at HD Industries on Detroit's west side came to a head — with Henry Kijanka, the plant manager who lives in St. Clair Shores, arrested for contempt of court; the company was ordered to halt operations. It's a case that has been eight years in the making, writes Jim Lynch.
According to officials with Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality, HD Industries has been having air pollution issues at its Glendale Street location since it first opened in 2006. Recycling dross — a byproduct of aluminum production — allows companies like HD to pull out whatever residual aluminum remains. But it's an industrial process that produces emissions.
"When you're doing this process, you need to control the hydrochloric acid, which comes off as a gas," said Jeff Korniski, an inspector with DEQ's Air Quality Division. "When it hits the atmosphere and combines with water vapor, you get hydrochloric acid in the atmosphere."
HD Industries began its work without getting the required permit from the state. In fact, DEQ officials said they had no idea the company was in business until they started getting complaints about the plant on Glendale Street.
