State of Organics Management in Atlantic Canada

Transcription

1 State of Organics Management in Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada Waste Diversion Conference October 16, 2014 Dr. Paul Arnold, P.Eng, MBA, PhD Acadia University Bio-Logic Environmental Systems

2 Policy Snapshot Operational Snapshot Original Model Emerging Model What Happened? The Fallout Summary Recommendations 15 Years ago Contents

3 Policy Snapshot NB: Guidelines for the Site Selection, Operation and Approval of Composting Facilities in New Brunswick content/composting/guidelines_for_compostingfacilities.html NS: Composting Facility Guidelines (2010) PE: Environmental Protection Act, Waste Resource Management Regulations (2014) NL: Environmental Standards for Municipal Solid Waste Compost Facilities (2010) il.pdf

4 Operational Snapshot Nova Scotia 17 SSO and/or B/S facilities from 25-25,000 tonnes/year New Brunswick 7 B/S & municipal waste 8 > 3000 m 3 /year 9 < 3000 m 3 /year Prince Edward Island 10,000 tonnes/year 30,000 tonnes/year Newfoundland & Labrador No facility >1000 tonnes/year Product Prices $0-$10/m 3, $5-22/yd 3 At capacity.

5 Original Model Overs SSO Compost Plant Screen -$$$$$ Tip Fee +$$$$ Revenue +$$ Product 3-6 months Tip Fee + Revenue Operating Costs + Amortized Capital + Profit $$$$ $$ $$$ $$ $

6 Emerging Model SSO Tip Fee +$$$$$ Compost Plant -$$$$$$ Immature Compost -$ Screen 1-2 years Blended Product ($) or landfill cover ($0) Overs to Landfill -$ (Secondary) Curing Area -$ Tip Fee + Revenue < Operating Costs + Amortized Capital + Curing & Disposal + Profit $$$$$ $ or $0 $$$$ $$ Something s gotta give! $$$ 0

7 What Happened? Technology providers oversold their product & technologies are under-performing (leachate, odour, significantly reduced rate of decomposition) Good counsel on organic waste management lacking (little experience, understanding) Under-estimation of impact of food waste & precipitation Overs too contaminated Municipalities unwilling/unable to spend the additional capital that s needed for effective operations, under-estimate increasing operating costs Guidelines are changing to accommodate under-performing technologies Changing maturity standards, misleading tests.

8 New Maturity Standards Dewar (re-heat) test (<8 o C) Respiration test: 400 mg O 2 /kg OM/h, or 4 mg CO 2 -C/g OM/d

9 Carbon Dioxide Evolution Rate Misleading (Over-estimating) 60 Respiration Maturity Tests Lab 1-1 day Titration* Lab 2-2 Day Average Titration PA's Lab-2 day Average Titration Lab 3-2 Day Average Respiration PA's Lab-2 Day Average Respiration PA's Lab-2 Day Average SOUR PA's Lab-2 Day Average Bottle Dissolved Oxygen Threshold Sample Number

10 The Fallout Some product receiving next-to-no revenue, landfill cover Plants considered for closure Plants requiring substantial additional investment beyond original expectations including secondary compost sites Municipal compost operational costs rising Environmental risk spread over more (remote) sites Now looking to alternative technologies (biochar, gasification, pyrolysis, AD) that are more expensive and even less likely to be financially viable than composting.

11 Alternative Technologies Sensitive to process upsets, requires (more) homogeneous feedstock Costly, requires large throughput, less flexible expansion Technically advanced.haven t we been down that road? Secondary waste streams (solid, liquid, gas) often downplayed but expensive MUST quantify true costs of ALL byproducts (liquid/solid/gas) MUST complete thorough energy balance May overtake composting someday.

12 State of Organics Management in Atlantic Canada Summary Strong food waste composting activity in NS, PEI, southern NB (Most) existing facilities at capacity Abundance of food waste yet to be composted Larger facilities struggling with overlysophisticated, under-sized facilities Cost of operations becoming prohibitively high.

13 State of Organics Management in Atlantic Canada Recommendations for the Future Treat organics management as a manufacturing (not waste) process: The only waste stream that remains at home ALL aspects (collection, processing, marketing, sales) managed at home HAS to operate within defined parameters (moisture content, oxygen delivery, less contamination) Cannot be accelerated beyond biological constraints Investment in enforcement/education=savings in bulker, disposal costs Investment in (simple) process performance=increase in sales revenue Get back to basics..covered, unsaturated, agitated space more important than proprietary technology, optimize what you have first Continue to position composting as the most cost-effective method of dealing with most organic wastes Compare the true costs of alternatives, include environmental impact.

14 Impact Faster rate of decomposition Less offensive odour, leachate production Smaller overall footprint Less overall net costs Better product control Higher valued product.

15 11 Years Ago.. C #2: Delivered organic material is inferior quality when picked up on a biweekly basis R #2: Consider more frequent organic pick-ups, less frequent collection of refuse, recyclables C #3: Improvement in source-separation quality is required in all sectors R #3: Aggressively pursue compliance initiatives with waste sectors in a deliberate but measured manner, consequences if there is non-compliance C #5: Product from most plants is undervalued in terms of marketing potential in a stable, mature state R #5: Consider an incremental cost-benefit analysis in comparing the incremental investment required to produce a more mature, stable and valuable product C #6: Only 8 out of 17 compost plants have product on-site that is considered stable in terms of the Solvita and oxygen uptake tests. All these facilities have held their product on-site for a period greater than one year. R #6: Operators should strive to increase the stability of their product through: (a) accelerating the rate of decomposition through improved operating conditions that are more amenable to microbial activity (greater oxygen exchange), and/or where space exists, and (b) holding material on-site (preferably undercover) for a longer period of time (at least one year) C #7: Plastic film remains the predominant contaminant. R #7: Educational programs should reinforce source-separation and the removal of plastic C #8: The existing criteria for compost stability are not stringent enough R #8: The provinces should consider making the test for maturity more rigorous.

16 Paul Arnold