VVancouver (GLOBE-Net) - Located in Swan Hills, Alberta, the Swan Hills Treatment Centre (SHTC), operated by AECOM, has been operating as Canada’s only fully-integrated, hazardous waste treatment facility for over 20 years.  As landfills become more scarce and unacceptable forms of waste management more facilities like Swan Hills may be needed to treat both hazardous and municipal waste produced in North America.

The SHTC plant site covers 320 acres of land, of which approximately 80 acres are fenced. Since its inception in 1987 the Swan Hills Centre has treated over 310,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste.  Using Best Available Demonstrated Technology (BADT), the Centre has the capacity to treat up to 40,000 metric tonnes of waste per year through one of three processes - Incineration, Physical/Chemical Neutralization or Stabilization.

Treating a Variety of Waste

Although the facility was originally envisioned to accept hazardous waste streams generated exclusively in Alberta, over the years its mandate has expanded to include the treatment of hazardous wastes from other jurisdictions across Canada and North America.

Today, the SHTC is the only licensed "full spectrum" PCB treatment and disposal facility in Canada, and the only facility in Canada permitted to destroy ODS (Ozone Depleting Substances such as CFCs and HCFCs ).  It is also the only facility in North America licensed to treat and destroy certain dioxin and furan contaminated materials.  As such, the SHTC plays an integral role not only in supporting Alberta’s hazardous waste regulations, but also serves as a cornerstone in Canada’s hazardous waste treatment strategies.

The Centre uses an incinerator for much of the waste treatment/destruction on site.  Although incinerators are generally perceived by the public as being undesirable,  advances in incineration technology and their use in concert with sophisticated pollution control technologies have made modern incinerators today a very effective tool in treating and disposing of a variety of wastes (both hazardous and non-hazardous). As a result of these new advances in incineration technologies very little contaminants escape into the atmosphere.

ODS and organic wastes in solid, liquid or sludge form are burned at temperatures up to 1,300º Celsius. The destruction process is completed in a secondary combustion chamber where resulting flue gases are subjected to temperatures over 1,200º Celsius for a minimum residence time of 2 to 3 seconds. Flue gases are then scrubbed to remove acid gases and particulates in a multi-stage, pollution control process prior to discharge.

Atmospheric emissions are closely monitored to ensure they comply with applicable regulatory requirements.  Residual bottom ash and fly ash are stabilized and placed in secure, engineered, on-site hazardous waste landfill cells.

Inorganic solid wastes contaminated with trace metals and other toxic compounds that come to the facility or are produced during the treatment process are chemically and physically treated (stabilized) using waste specific recipes. The chemical treatment and stabilization process ensures hazardous constituents will not leak into the environment.  The resulting material is then placed into the secure, engineered on-site landfill cells.

These on-site landfill cells are impermeable units built into and onto naturally occurring clay formations. Each cell is lined with a heavy synthetic liner and only treated materials are placed in the cells. They are continuously monitored for leachate and SHTC’s operating license requires all wastes being placed into the on-site landfills be treated before insertion.

When full, the cell is made impervious by sealing with a high density polyethylene cover. Once sealed, the cell is covered with clay, then topsoil is added and the cell is re-vegetated.

Inorganic liquids received at the facility or produced during the treatment process are chemically treated using neutralization, oxidation/reduction or precipitation processes, and the resulting residue is then filtered to remove solids. The solid residue is then stabilized and placed in secure, on-site landfill cells. The treated liquid effluent is injected into a deep well 1,800 metres below ground into a stable geological formation.

Overall, the facility is highly efficient in waste treatment.  Technically, the SHTC is licensed to achieve a Destructive Removal Efficiency (DRE) of 99.9999 percent for incineration. Ongoing compliance testing confirms that the SHTC actually performs much better than its license requires and the Centre consistently achieves some of the highest levels of DRE in Canada (up to 99.999999% efficiency).

Preparing for Future Waste Problems

All industrialized countries must come to grips with the growing problem of waste management and solutions such as incineration, may be required.  Each year Canadians produce over 30 million tonnes of municipal solid waste.  This waste is placed in landfills in both Canada and the United States.  Canada is simply running out of room to store this waste.

In Canada, landfills remain the conventional municipal waste management option.  According to Ken Fossey, Director of Sales and Marketing for  the Swan Hills Treatment Centre "landfills may not be the most environmentally responsible way to treat wastes generated across the country and other forms of waste treatment like composting, incineration or waste to energy facilities will need to be evaluated as Canada’s major cities run out of landfill space"

Facilities like SHTC could be part of the solution.  Although Swan Hills currently treats hazardous waste, it is possible for a similarly designed  facility to treat municipal waste.

Unfortunately very few specialized waste treatment facilities such as Swan Hills exist in North America where a misinformed perception of incineration, as a significant source of pollution, persists. 

In reality, incineration has become a very efficient and environmentally friendly method of treating waste.  Pollution control technologies, such as those used at SHTC, have become so sophisticated that the much of what is seen as emissions are in fact steam. Unlike many landfills, incineration or waste to energy facilities can have the added benefit of utilizing waste by converting it directly to energy. Although some landfills take advantage of the methane gas produced to generate electricity through micro-turbine installations, waste to energy facilities can convert the energy stored in its organic constituents directly to create large amounts of electrical or steam generated energy.

"With the advances made in the past 20 - 30 years, incineration has become a safe and efficient form of waste treatment as well as a source of energy," says Fossey.

The European experience is an important example. High temperature treatment of wastes (both municipal solid waste and hazardous waste) has been accepted for decades. This is due in part to limitations on available space for landfills and other non-destructive forms of waste management.

Achieving similar acceptance of incineration technology in Canada may simply require better public awareness and education.

SHTC has found that sharing information with the stakeholders in an honest and open manner is crucial to dispelling myths about the facility and confirming the positive impacts it has for Alberta and all of Canada.  Part of Swan Hill’s success has been its continued focus on its extensive, ISO certified, environmental, health and safety management system and continued communication with the surrounding community. 

Today, the facility continues to receive support from the Town of Swan Hills, neighboring stakeholders and local First Nations Communities. The SHTC, through its Stakeholder Liaison Committee, shares information with stakeholders and interested parties on a regular basis about the operation of the facility and its effect on the local environment.

"We continue to work with local stakeholders to ensure that the facility continually runs in a safe, healthy and environmentally sound manner," says Fossey.  "We ensure that our employees operate in a safe environment and the surrounding community is informed and environmental impacts are mitigated."

The Swan Hills Treatment Centre is an example of what waste management may need to become in Canada for treatment of both hazardous and municipal waste streams. 

For more information about the SHTC, please visit http://www.shtc.ca/.

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