Plasma Arc Incineration
Starting Point:
Huh !?!?!
Burning garbage in Mississippi Mills !?!
No way Man !
Was that your initial reaction?
Mine too.
So we have a problem. Our current dump site is now in the city of Ottawa, and the lease expires in 3 years. What are the chances of it being renewed?
Dumping Garbage onto / into the ground isn't a good idea anyway - So what are the alternatives?
· Incineration?
· Municipal level composting?
· Waste Reduction?
· Ship it to someone else's back yard?
· We have to do something - so what's the "best" way to get rid of our garbage?
The Town of Mississippi Mills was seriously considering Plasma Arc Incineration.
At the May 8th 2003 Plasma Arc Committee meeting, the members of the committee were not comfortable with giving a letter of intent to PyroGenesis to proceed with funding applications. Nor were they comfortable with spending $150K for a Due Diligence study. A motion was approved to do neither.
This in effect means that Plasma Arc is on the shelf indefinitely.
MMRA Information Paper on Plasma Arc in Mississippi Mills
On October 3 2003, the MMRA received (via the town) a rebuttal from Peter Tsantrizos, the CTO of PyroGenesis Inc., re our paper above.
BTW the proper term is Plasma Arc Gasification and Vitrification - but "Incinerator" is a more straight forward term, if not technically correct.
in·cin·er·ate
· To cause to burn to ashes.
· To burn completely.
gasification
· The act or process of converting into gas.
vit·ri·fy
· To change or make into glass or a glassy substance, especially through heat fusion.
What is Plasma Arc Technology?
What is Plasma Arc Gasification and Vitrification?
Read the following link for a very good idea as to what is involved.
Review Plasma Arc MSW Treatment in Honolulu Hawaii
What Do Others Think of This Technology?
Honolulu appears to have performed a rather good review of the process, and it doesn't appear to be all it's cracked up to be:
Appendix B thru D of the above
Swan Hills Information
When you open the door to incinerating garbage, costs escalate the way they did at Swan Lake, it forces the operators to look at other revenue generating opportunities.
The build up of toxic chemicals in the surrounding environment occurs over time. It is a one way street.
Of course the scary part is "Health Minister McLellan says toxic metals in food not a health threat":
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=aab13f28-7885-45f5-b32a-c71b19d93
When looking at the Native American website for their film (link listed below) they indicated the following problems:
· the environmental problems with incineration (has this process been clearly examined over a long period of time - no, new technology)
· the short comings of the scientific method for understanding the eco-system (does anyone on council understand this or have council done some investigative work - no)
· criticism of the Natural Resources Conservation Board process (can't speak to that one, just Anne McLellan's diet)
· An overview of the controversial business agreement between Bow Valley Resources (now Bovar) and the Alberta government (that sounds local!)
You can follow the links below.
Swan Hills started small:13.5K tonne capacity. Cost escalated as did the incineration capacity to an additional 40K tonnes, and the end result will cost the Alberta taxpayer an estimated $500 million to clean up the mess.
A report that concluded 'these incinerators have been contaminating the environment for years' indicates even the best technology unproven over time can be lethal".
http://archive.greenpeace.org/~toxics/html/content/can4stat.html
http://archive.greenpeace.org/~toxics/html/content/can4info.html
http://www.nrcb.gov.ab.ca/swantoc.html Incinerator Expansion of the Swan Hills Special Waste Treatment Centre
http://www.nrcb.gov.ab.ca/page9101.html Application No. 9101 - Incinerator
http://www.incentre.net/efones/swanhills.html SWAN HILLS Clean-up by Alberta Environment. [Accumulated cost to the public - 500 MILLON DOLLARS + ]
http://www.morrowenv.com/html/news_info.html Advertisement to send your waste to Swan Lake
http://www.web.net/%7erainbow/poison.htm A Native View of the Swan Hills Waste Treatment Centre. A film about Swan Lake
http://www.greenlink.org/grassroots/soc/wastenot/97i02783.html The Perversion Continues
http://www.uwc.ca/pearson/ensy/mega/ryan/ryan.htm SWAN HILLS WASTE TREATMENT PLANT: POISONING PARADISE? This is about the explosion in the plant caused by toxic waste fumes. Fugitive levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were detected after the explosion through air quality tests, as well as dioxin and furan emissions.
http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1998/030598/cover.html Quebec has a major incinerator operation (town of 3,500)
Some other interesting points pulled out!
A mechanical failure to one incinerator caused a major release of PCBs and dioxin, resulting in the laying of six charges by the Alberta government.
On December 13, 1996, the Provincial Health Officer issued a health advisory against eating wild game from within a 30 km radius of the plant, and during the same month on August 26, 1997, Professor David Schindler of the University of Alberta released a report which concluded the Swan Hills incinerators had been contaminating the region with PCBs and dioxin for years prior to these accidents.
Currently, only the larger incinerator is operating, the smaller one having been shut indefinitely in March 1998. Other hazards associated with the facility include a disposal well for liquid waste and a landfill for incinerator ash, found to be leaking in 1992; and the ongoing threat from forest fires, which forced two evacuations of the town of Swan Hills in May 1998.
The Swan Hills story has not ended.
Research
What is Plasma Arc Gasification and Vitrification?
Read the following link for a very good idea as to what is involved.
Review Plasma Arc MSW Treatment in Honolulu Hawaii
Appendix B thru D of the above
Locking in the bad stuff
This paper discusses the durability of the slag i.e. how much will it leach the trapped inorganic chemicals (heavy metals, etc.). Intermediate technical level:
Using the Centrifugal Method for the Plasma-Arc Vitrification of Waste
US Navy Research
PLASMA ARC TECHNOLOGY - US Navy Cost Analysis
Environmental Groups Research
One word says it all: Greenpeace! A comprehensive report covering a wide range of waste disposal technologies, including Plasma Arc (see section 3.8):
TECHNICAL CRITERIA FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF STOCKPILED PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
See the Green Peace Incineration page as well.