WASTE-TO-ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES IN CANADA

WASTE-TO-ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES IN CANADA

Waste-to-Energy Symposium Fort Saskatchewan, ABMarch 12, 2020Matt Hamilton, Waste Reduction and Management Division

• CharacterizewastedisposedinCanada,Alberta,andleadingprovinces

• Highlightenergy-fromwasteopportunities

• DiscussGovernmentofCanadarequirementsandsupport

Objectives

Municipal Solid Waste Characterization

• 34.2Mtonnes generated – 943kg/person

• 9.2Mtonnes diverted (27%)– 255kg/person

• 24.9Mtonnes disposed (73%)– 688kg/person• 41%residentialand59%non-residential

• Morethan95%islandfilled

• Lessthan5%isthermallytreated(mostlywithenergyrecovery,althoughthisalsoincludesopenburning)

Source:StatisticsCanada(https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/181005/dq181005d-eng.htm)

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Canada (2016)

National Trends: 2002 to 2016• Waste disposal per

person from residential sources increased by 5% from 269 to 282 kg

• Waste disposal per person from non-residential sources declined by 19% from 499 to 406 kg

• Total diversion per person increased by 20% from 212 to 255 kg



Jurisdiction Generated Disposed Diverted Percent Diverted(tonnes) (tonnes) (tonnes)

Canada 34,191,448 24,940,747 9,250,701 27%Newfoundland and Labrador 434,729 395,324 39,405 9%

Prince Edward Island Not Available x 53,261 Not AvailableNova Scotia 668,436 375,258 293,178 44%New Brunswick 654,433 503,123 151,310 23%

Quebec 7,760,615 5,356,134 2,404,481 31%Ontario 12,785,183 9,475,472 3,309,711 26%

Manitoba 1,180,268 969,289 210,979 18%Saskatchewan 1,068,079 898,404 169,675 16%

Alberta 5,037,999 4,206,668 831,331 17%British Columbia 4,368,845 2,614,087 1,754,758 40%

Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut Not Available x 32,612 Not Available

Source: Statistics Canada (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/181005/dq181005d-eng.htm and https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3810003301)

)

• Biodegradable materials make up 64% of the waste currently landfilled

• Plastics make up at least 13%

Composition of MSW Disposed in Canada

Source: Report under development by Environment and Climate Change Canada

Composition of MSW Disposed in Canada


• Biodegradable materials make up 65% of the waste currently landfilled in AB, compared with 64% nationally and in BC, and 52% in Nova Scotia

• Plastics make up at least 13%, equal to the national figure, but lower compared to NS (22%) and BC (16%)

Alberta’s Waste Composition


Nova Scotia’s Waste Composition


British Columbia’s Waste Composition


Comparison of Per Person Disposal (kg)


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400

600

800

1000

1200

National AB BC NS

Other Non-degradableBulkyHousehold HazardousElectronicsGlassMetalsBuilding MaterialPlasticOther DegradableRubber & LeatherTextile Pet WasteDiapersYard & GardenWoodPaperFood

Comparison of Per Person Disposal (kg)


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100

150

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National

AB

BC

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Biodegradable Materials

BIOGAS AND RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS IN CANADA

Biogas and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) in Canada

Source:CanadianBiogasAssociationhttps://biogasassociation.ca/about_biogas/projects_canada

Provincialenergyandwastemanagement

policieshavebeenthemaindriversfor

biogasproductionanduse(i.e.electricityor

renewablegas)

Opportunities for Biogas and RNG in Canada

Realizingthefullpotentialofbiogasdevelopmentfromallmajorsources*couldleadto:• Biogasproductionequivalenttoabout3%ofCanada’snaturalgasdemand,orabout1.3%ofCanada’selectricitydemand

• Capitalinvestmentof$7billion(CDN)

• Economicspin-offsof$21billion(CDN)totheCanadianEconomy

• 17,000constructionjobsforaperiodofoneyear

• 2,650ongoinglongtermoperationaljobs

• 100newandexpandedCanadiancompanies,includingbiogassystemdesignersanddevelopers,equipmentsuppliers,andlaboratories

*agriculturalorganics(excludingenergycrops),landfillgas,residentialandcommercialsourceseparatedorganics,municipalwastewater

Source:CanadianBiogasAssociationhttps://biogasassociation.ca/about_biogas/biogas_potential


Alberta’sBiogas/RNGPotentialfromMSW• Foodwaste– Albertacurrentlylandfills265kgperpersoneachyear;NovaScotiaonlylandfills37kgperperson

• IfAlbertaweretoachievefoodwastediversionsimilartoNovaScotia,anadditional925Ktonnesofmaterialwouldbeavailableforprocessing

• Potentialopportunitiesfornewdigesters,and/orco-digestioninexistingfacilities


Landfill Gas (Methane)

• Landfillingbiodegradablematerials(food,paper,wood,etc)generatesmethane• Landfillmethaneaccountsfor1.8%(13.2MtCO2eq)ofCanada’sGHGemissions• Emissionshavebeenstablesince2011,asmitigationeffortshavekeptpacewithpopulationgrowth

• Methaneisashort-livedclimatepollutant– apowerfulclimateforcerthathasarelativelyshortlifetimeintheatmosphere–meaningthatmakingreductionsnowwillhaveaclimatebenefitinonlyafewyears

• Additionallandfillmethanereductioncouldbeachievedby:• Increasinglandfillmethanecapture• Divertingbiodegradablesfromlandfills• Reducingavoidablefoodwaste

Landfill Gas (Methane)• 117landfillshavemethanecapturesystemsduetoprovincialregulations,incentivesorsimilarmeasures;however,thesesitesarestillresponsibleforabout42%ofcurrentemissions

• Emissionsfromanadditional3000+landfillsareuncontrolledandrepresentabout58%ofcurrentemissions;rangeinsizefromverysmalltoserving~40Kpeople;abouthalfareclosed

01020304050607080

BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PEI NFLD YK

LF - no gas control

Biocover

LF - with gas control

Landfillgasmanagementbyprovince/territory

(>100Ktonnesofwasteinplace,receiving>10K

tonnesperyear)

Landfill Gas (Methane)

Albertalandfillswith>100Ktonnes ofwasteinplace• Accountforabout2.1MtCO2eqofCanada’slandfillemissions(16%)• 26receivingmorethan10Ktonnes ofwasteperyear

• 8withmethanecapture• Atleast2usingthemethane(generatingelectricity)• Atleast3assessingthefeasibilityofusingthemethane

• 18withno methanecapture

• 16receivinglessthan10Ktonnes ofwasteperyear• Nonehavemethanecapture


• Federal“CleanFuelStandard”underdevelopment

• Naturalgassuppliers/utilitiesareincreasingrenewablecontent

• CanadianGasAssociationaimingfor5%renewablecontentby2025,and10%by2030

• E.g.FortisBC(BritishColumbia),Enbridge/UnionGas(Ontario),andEnergir (Quebec)areenteringintolong-termsupplyagreementswithbiogasproducers

• Municipalorganicsdiversionisincreasing

• Federal,provincialandterritorialgovernmentscommittedtoreducetotalwastedisposalby30%by2030,and50%by2040

• 80%ofhouseholdswillhavecurbsideorganicsdiversion(underexistingandproposedprovincialandmunicipalplans)


Challenges for Biogas and RNG in Canada

• Cost/raisinginvestment

• Economicsofsmallscaleoperations

• Feedstocksupply

• Connectionstothegridandgasnetwork• Operatortrainingandtechnicalsupport

• Communityresistance

• Landapplicationofdigestate

Source:2018studybyCanadianBiogasAssociationandGovernmentofCanada,https://biogasassociation.ca/resources/Canadian_agricultural_biogas_study

THERMAL TREATMENT IN CANADA

Large Thermal Treatment Facilities in Canada

Name Type of Facility Waste Type Capacity (tonnes/year) Energy Recovery Location Comments

L’incinérateur de la Ville de Québec

Incinerator with Energy Recovery

Post-recycled MSW; wastewater sludge 312000 Steam Québec, QC

Heat used to dry wastewater sludge prior to incineration

Covanta Burnaby Renewable Energy

Incinerator with Energy Recovery Post-recycled MSW 285,000 Electricity 28 MW Burnaby, BC 25% of Metro

Vancounver's waste

Emerald Energy From Waste

Gasification with Energy Recovery MSW 187,000 Steam, Electricity 9.3 MW Mississauga,

ON

Excess steam sold to neighboring paper

mill

Durham York Energy Centre

Incinerator with Energy Recovery Post-recycled MSW 140,000 Electricity 17.5 MW Durham Region,

ON

Sustane ChesterSeparation

Technology and Gassification

Post-recycled MSW 70,000Biomass Pellets,

and Synthetic Diesel

Chester, NS

PEI Energy Systems EFW

Incinerator with Energy Recovery Post-recycled MSW 30,000

Steam, Electricity, Hot

Water

Charlottetown, PEI

District heating and hot water system

L’incinérateur municipal de Lévis Incinerator Post-recycled MSW;

hospital waste 26,800 None Lévis, QC

Cement Industry

• AmajorenergyconsumerseekingalternativefuelstoreducecostsandGHGs

• Unrecyclableplastics– Numerousfacilitieseitherusingorseekingapproval,including:Lafarge(Exshaw,AB;Delta,BC;Brookfield,NS;Bath,ON);St.Mary’sCement(2facilitiesinON);andHolcimCement(Joliette,QC)

• TireDerivedFuel(TDF)• TDFoffsetstheuseofcoal,petroleumcokeandotherfuels,reducinggreenhousegasandNOxemissions

• MorethanhalfofCanada'scementplantshaveapermittouseTDFasapartoftheirfuelmix;lessthan5%ofoverallfuelmix

• Someprovincesprohibit;others,suchasQuebec,encourageitoverlandfillingoftires

When one might consider thermal treatment?

Canbeanenvironmentallysoundoptionandmaybemostpreferredwhen:

• Wastereductionmeasureshavebeenimplementedandareyieldingresults(e.g.prevention,reuse)

• Highrecyclinganddiversionrateshavebeenachieved,includinghazardouswastes(e.g.lampscontainingmercury)

• Energyand/orchemicalrecoveryisviable

• Recoveryofadditionalmetalsorothermaterialsisviable

• Appropriateairpollutantemissionscontrolsareincluded

• Experiencedandskilledoperatorsareavailable,properlytrained&supervised

• Protocolsforoperation,maintenanceandmonitoringareclearlydefinedandadheredto

Potential Benefits of Thermal Treatment

• Significantlyreducesthevolumeofwasterequiringfinaldisposal

• Energyand/orchemicalrecoverymaybeviable,particularlyforlargerscalefacilities

• CanhavelowerGHGemissionsthanlandfills,whenthewastedisposedincludesbiodegradablematerials

• LowerGHGandNOxemissionsforcementplantswhencombustingusedtiresandunrecyclableplastics,ascomparedtofuelslikecoalandpetroleumcoke

• Airpollutantemissionsfrommodernsystemsare/canbelowerthanregulatoryrequirements

• Additionalrecoveryofmetalsispossible,evenwhenprocessingpost-recycledwaste(e.g.CovantaBurnabyincineratorrecoversabout7000tonnes ofmetalperyear)

Potential Drawbacks of Thermal Treatment

• Significantfinancialinvestmentthattypicallyworksbestatlargescale• Energyand/orchemicalrecoverymaybelimitedornotpossibleatsmallerscale

• Maybecomeundesirablecompetitionforrecyclinganddiversion• LessexperienceinCanada• Wastestreamswithhighenergyandlowmoistureare(generally)preferred

Potential Drawbacks of Thermal Treatment

• Forincinerators,incaseswherethewastestreamhaslowenergycontent,asupplementaryfuelmayberequiredtoensurecompletecombustion

• Whennotproperlydesignedandoperated,canbeasignificantsourceofairpollutantemissionssuchasparticulatematter,dioxins,furans,andmercury

• Aseconddisposalsystem(typicallyalandfill)mayberequiredforashorotherresidues(someofwhichmayhazardouswaste)

FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS AND SUPPORT

Federal Requirements and Guidance • NationalPollutantReleaseInventory

• Mustreportifincinerating:≥26tonnes non-hazardoussolidwaste;≥26tonnesbiomedicalorhospitalwaste;hazardouswaste;sewagesludge

• Excludesindustrialprocesseswherefuelderivedfromwasteisfiredasanenergysource(e.g.barkandothercleanwoodwasteusedtofireaboiler)

• CleanFuelStandard

• Underdevelopmentandexpectedtoincreasedemandforlowercarbonfuels(liquid,gaseousandsolid)

• ECCCplanstoconsultpubliclyontheproposedregulationsforgaseousfuelsinmid-2021,theregulationsshouldbefinalizedin2022,andcomeintoforcein2023.

Federal Requirements and Guidance

• ECCC’sTechnicalDocumentonBatchWasteIncineration(2010)

• Guidanceonselecting,operatingandmaintainingsmallbatchMSWincinerators,withtheaimofminimizingdioxin,furanandmercuryemissions

• ECCC’sSolidWasteManagementinNorthernandRemoteCommunities:PlanningandTechnicalGuidanceDocument(2017)

Green Municipal Fund

• AdministeredbyFederationofCanadianMunicipalities

• Providesgrantsformunicipalitiesandtheirpartnerstodostudiesforinitiativesthatcouldhelpdivertatleast60%ofMSWfromlandfills

• If60%targetalreadyachieved,projectmustdemonstratepotentialtosurpass

• Forremotecommunities,diversionprojectsmusttargetadiversionrateof15%overtheircurrentbaseline

• Thermaltreatmentprojectsareonlyeligibleforfundingifthemunicipalityhasalreadyachievedatotaldiversionrateofatleast60%withreduction,reuse,recyclingorbiologicalprocesses

• Thislimitationdoesnotapplytoremotecommunities

Federal Support for Infrastructure & Innovation

• CleanGrowthHub(http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/099.nsf/eng/home)

• Whole-of-governmentfocalpointforcleantechnologyfocusedonsupportingcompaniesandprojects,coordinatingprogramsandtrackingresults

• Getadvicefromateamofexpertsfromacrossgovernmentwhocanhelpyoufindandunderstandwhatprogramsandservicesmayberightforyou

• Servicesareavailabletofirmsofallsizesinthecleantechnologyspaceandacrossallsectorsoftheeconomy


• ECCC’sLowCarbonEconomyFundandLowCarbonEconomyChallenge

• Approvedmorethan$30Minfundingfor:

• organicsdiversionandbiogasprojects(e.g.Peterborough,GeorgianBluffs,andKawarthaBiogasinHavelock(ON),Saint-Pie(QC),RedcliffCypres (AB)),andfor

• landfillgasprojects(e.g.Regina,Waterloo,Calgary)

• Example:Enwave EnergyCorporationwillreceiveupto$3.5Mtoupgradeandexpandanexistingwaste-to-energysystemfordistrictheatinginCharlottetown,PEIhttps://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2019/03/government-of-canada-supports-climate-action-by-enwave-energy-corporation.html


• NaturalResourcesCanadafundedprojects(https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/funding/21146)

• Enerkem Inc.received$729Ktowardits“Biomass-richWasteConversionintoDrop-inFuels”project(completed2016)

• Enerkem Inc.alsoreceived$2.9Mtowardits“ModularCompactCombinedHeatandPower(CHP)UsingHeterogeneousBiomassWastes”project(completed2018),whichfocusedonservingremotecommunities

• Bothprojectsdeterminedthattheproductionofbiofuelswouldbemorecosteffectivewhendoneonalargerscale,atcentralconversionhubs

• SustainableDevelopmentTechnologyCanada(https://www.sdtc.ca/en/projects/)

• Enerkem inEdmonton– MSWintobiofuels

• Sustane ChesterinNovaScotia– MSWintobiomasspelletsandsyntheticdiesel

Thank You!

MattHamilton,P.Eng.

Manager,WasteandGHGReduction

WasteReductionandManagementDivision

EnvironmentandClimateChangeCanada

(819)938-4511

[email protected]

WASTE-TO-ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES IN CANADA

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