A new type of waste processing technology could change the way Sooke looks at the way it deals with sludge, solid waste and organics.
It’s called gasification, in which heat and steam, pull apart molecules of solid materials and converts them into gases. Those gases contain energy, like hydrogen, carbon monoxide and volatile hydrocarbons.
When gasified, those items pass on to an internal combustion engine capable of generating 500 kW of electricity and 790 kW of heat. The result is emissions similar to that of a natural gas boiler.
The idea was pitched to Sooke council by Pivotal IRM Inc., a B.C-based company specializing in renewable waste technology.
IRM’s president Graeme Bethell hopes the technology, known as gasifiers, could provide Sooke with an alternative that will not only process sewer sludge, but everything else as well.
“It can be for any carbonic material – sewer sludge, solid waste, it can all be gasified,” Bethell said, adding that some gasifiers are built to be multi-fuel and can stock up on daily or hourly basis.
Bethell said the only byproduct coming out the bottom of a gasifier is char and ash that could be used as fertilizer, or depending on the heavy metal content, it can be put into concrete or asphalt.
Pivotal’s smallest gasifier would need to process a minimum of 11 tonnes a day (3,600 tonnes a year) of waste to be efficient. For a local application, this would be the one to go with, Bethell noted, adding it would occupy a 10X10 space and stand three storeys tall.
The company built its first gasifier in Güssing, Austria, in 2002.
With Sooke treating its sewage in-house, Coun. Rick Kasper, while in favour of the idea, wondered how this would fit into the rest of the district’s sewage and waste plans.
“I personally don’t want to see our staff let this take away from our transition program that we’re entering into on taking over our sewer operation by the end of this year,” Kasper said, adding the district still has five months left with the transition to take over the sewer operation.
Mayor Maja Tait said more research is needed to show Sooke produces sufficient amount of waste to efficiently run a gasifier, though she supports the idea. She also added that this could be a way to reduce the amount of local waste needed to be hauled out.
“We pay a significant amount of money each year to get the solids out of our community, so some of the haulers may be interested in a more local option that brings less wear on their trucks to drive something out,” Tait said, adding that the method of disposing of something by trucking it out and tossing it into a landfill is too old school.
“We have to look at new options, new methods. This [gasifier] is unique because if there’s a way to have it, we save $55,000 we spend on trucking the sludge away. It’s significant, and it will only increase.”
District staff was directed to prepare a report for council concerning Pivotal’s plans and additional info on gasification and gasifier technology.
