The biofuel-based residential waste

File Photo, Caroline d’astous
The technology initiated by the quebec-based Enerkem is a solution to landfill and incineration, to recover the unrecoverable.

Anne Caroline Desplanques

Monday, 31 July, 2017 06:30

UPDATE
Monday, 31 July, 2017 06:30

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Technology quebec unique in the world that already allows Edmonton residents to convert almost all of their waste into biofuel will be installed soon in Varennes.

• See the chronicle : From the garbage to the tank

“We offer a solution to landfill and incineration to recover the unrecoverable,” says Peter Ball, of Enerkem.

In Quebec, ” fatal “, it is 685 kg of waste per person each year, according to the most recent balance sheet of Recyc-Québec, published last week.

All these materials, the recycling chain is not able to treat take the way of one of the 72 sites of burial or cremation of the province.

Waste to wealth

“This is an incredible waste of resources,” laments Laurent Spreutels, a researcher at the research Chair on the valorization of residual materials from Polytechnique Montréal. His team advises the cities of Montreal, Laval and Gatineau in the management of their waste.

According to him, Enerkem’s technology “seems to be a very, very good avenue” to turn waste into wealth, rather than in nuisance. “It could go into our recommendations to the City of Montréal,” says Mr. Spreutel.

In Edmonton, Enerkem has installed, a year ago, a plant capable of processing 100 000 tonnes of residential waste per year.

Instead of cremating or burying them, it transforms them into biométhanol, a product that can be used as biofuel or in the chemical composition of plastics, glues and paints, in particular.

To Varennes, “it is really almost a launched official,” Mr. Bushel, without wanting to move forward on a date.

Copied on that of Edmonton, the plant of the South Shore of Montreal will not, however, residential waste, but matters of industrial, commercial and construction debris.

The bins of mr. and mrs. All-the-World will continue to be buried or cremated, because, for the moment, any quebec municipality intends to formally follow the example of Edmonton.

“The cost for the landfill is extremely low. It does not promote the search for alternatives “, says Mr. Spreutel.

Less space

However, the number of landfill sites and incineration continues to increase (to 82 in 2015 compared to 77 in 2012, according to Recyc-Québec) and the space starts to run out.

This is particularly the case for Laval, which “buries its waste on a site that is expected to reach saturation by 2030,” says Mr. Spreutel. In Pierrefonds on the island of Montreal, the centre of the burial of the rivière Saint-Étienne is already saturated and its use had to be extended pending a solution.

Precisely, ” Edmonton was determined to find a solution for its waste, because it was facing a challenge of achieving capacity of its landfill site,” says Mr. Ball.

Enerkem will export soon its technology in Spain, the United States and in Holland.

Green bin

• 1Mt of recyclable materials are received by the sorting centres for selective collection
• 80 % : rate of diversion of materials collected at the ecocentres to recyclers, packagers, recyclers and sorting centres, quebec
• 80 to 800 tons of materials are to be sold by the sorting centres for recycling
• 54 % of materials from the residences are transported for recycling
• +6 % : growth in quantities recovered since 2013

Tray black

• 82 landfill and incineration by 2015 compared to 77 in 2012
• 5 120 000 tonnes of residual materials eliminated in 2015, a 3.9% less than in 2012
• 685 kg of waste disposed per capita by 2015, compared to 726 kg in 2012

Brown bin

• 25 % : rate of recycling of organic matter