Metro Vancouver is taking more heat over its plan to build a second garbage incinerator, with a new study commissioned by waste company Belkorp Environmental Services suggesting the move could cost up to $1.3 billion more than originally estimated.

The analysis, conducted by ICF International on behalf of Belkorp, comes as Metro Vancouver attempts to deal with the province’s rejection of its proposed Bylaw 280, which was integral to its solid waste management plan because it would have ensured garbage generated in Metro was kept in the region.

Belkorp, which runs the Cache Creek dump, has been involved in a high-profile lobbying campaign against Bylaw 280 as well as Metro Vancouver’s plans to burn the region’s waste rather than landfill it. Metro is slated to close the Cache Creek dump in 2016.

“We’re still fighting for options that are better than the incinerator,” said Russ Black, Belkorp’s vice-president of corporate development. “Irrespective of Bylaw 280, we still wanted to show the true costs of the incinerator.”

The report, by ICF’s lead author Seth Hulkower, suggests Metro Vancouver significantly overestimated the revenue it would earn by selling electricity from the new incinerator to BC Hydro over a period of 35 years.

Metro had suggested it would seek to negotiate a price of $100 per kilowatt hour from BC Hydro, but Hulkower noted the waste-to-energy business plan doesn’t take into account that BC Hydro may adjust the price it pays for electricity after Metro recovers it capital outlay on the project.

Metro Vancouver chairman Greg Moore said he’s not surprised with the study’s findings, saying it’s a point that has long been argued by Belkorp.

But he said the analysis is premature considering that Metro has at least 10 proponents offering different forms of waste-to-energy, including district heat and gasification, and there are several potential scenarios.

“They don’t know anything about what we’re doing in our (request-for-proposals) process … all of them are not based on selling to Hydro,” Moore said.

He added Metro has experience running a waste-to-energy plant, having done so in Burnaby since 1988, while Belkorp is interested in setting up multi-material recovery facilities and ensuring the dump continues to operate.

“They are relentless in pursuit of their agenda to continue to have garbage going to their landfill,” Moore said. “Until that decision is made I don’t think they’ll stop.”

Belkorp already has a Coquitlam site where it proposes to build a facility to take a “last pass” at waste to remove recyclables such as organics, paper, plastics and metals, a move that would ultimately rob the region of enough material to fuel another waste-to-energy facility.

Black acknowledged multi-material recovery facilities directly compete with incinerators but say they make sense. “When you look at the range of costs, there’s some serious questions that have to be addressed,” he said.

by: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Metro+incinerator+would+cost+billion+more+than+planned+study/10329525/story.html

The first of many public meetings concerning the disposal of more than 15 million pounds of M6 propellant at Camp Minden drew close to 150 concerned citizens and officials to the Minden Civic Center Thursday night.

There, they learned the agreement reached between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army, which will fund the $28.5 million clean up of the illegally stored material left by Explo Systems, Inc., calls strictly for open air burning.

“Local contractors, the Maddens, designed a device,” Webster Parish Sheriff Gary Sexton, who set up the meeting, said. “For some reason, that device is not being considered in this clean up process.”

“We’re disappointed,” James Madden, owner of Madden Contracting, said. Madden’s son, David spent time and money researching and building a prototype that would’ve allowed closed incineration of the product. “We considered we built a better mousetrap.”

However, Madden may not be out of it yet. The Army must first design a bid package and go through a process required by law to find a company to take on the project.

“The Maddens can throw in a bid on the open tray process,” Sexton said. “They certainly have the right to come in and I think they will do that.”

State Sen. Robert Adley said while discussion concerning responsibility was taking place, the Maddens developed a plan to deal with it. Adley, along with others in the local delegation, attended a demonstration of the incinerator at Camp Minden last January.

“It looked good to us,” Adley said. “We’re not professionals, but under law, by their interpretation, the EPA cannot use that process. I regret that, but it’s where we are at this stage of the game.”

Adley said that under existing law, the Louisiana Military Department and Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis are required to take bids from whoever provides one.

“At the end of the day, he (Curtis) can sit down and decide who’s qualified, who has the experience and if they have the financial backing to do it,” Adley said. “All of those things will be taken into consideration. It would be wonderful if it ended up being someone who, when they finish, will be sitting here breathing this air with us.”

David Madden seemed resigned to the EPA’s decision after attending an informal meeting with officials earlier in the day.

“I’ve studied this process and, yes, I did work for an incinerator,” he said. “I met with EPA officials and other experts not associated with the EPA, and they are going down the right path with the open trays.”

Madden said his change of heart hinged on the haste with which the disposal must take place to avoid more degradation of the product, which makes it more dangerous.

“It is important this get started the first quarter of next year,” he said. “I have looked at the air quality plumes (from open tray burning). Only 10 percent of this fallout will go to Doyline. There’s an equal amount going toward Bossier and going north. Our business is about a mile and a half due east. We’re all going to get some of this.”

District 10 State Rep. Gene Reynolds said, going forward, communication is key.

“On my website and in my office, we will keep all of the completely updated materials,” Reynolds said. “We’re going to keep (the public) informed with everything that comes out from this point forward.”

Sexton stressed the importance of the public’s help.

“Help us calm the fears of the people in the community about what we don’t know is going to happen with the destruction of the M6 propellant,” he said. “We may all speculate on things that may happen, but we don’t need to talk about what we have to worry about. The people who are going to be responsible – whoever the contractor is – the people that are going to be disposing of this product, keep them in your prayers because something could happen to the people who are responsible for going out there and opening those bunkers, picking this product up, moving it and destroying it where we can live in a safer community.”

The next public meeting is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 16. Time and location have not been decided.

by: http://press-herald.com/open-tray-burning-wins-out-over-closed-incinerator-for-m6-propellant-at-camp-minden/

HAI PHONG (VNS)— A medical waste incinerator in Hai Phong built by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the Japan International Co-operation Agency in Viet Nam (JICA) completed its trial phase on Thursday.
Constructed in January, the US$600,000 incinerator has been operational since March with initial test results collected by the Hai Phong Urban Environment One Member Limited Company (URENCO) indicating that the incinerator satisfied most of the requirements set out in the 2012 Viet Nam Environmental Standards by MONRE.

“The incinerator is going to be of great assistance to the city’s effort to manage and process medical waste,” said Le Ngoc Tru, director of URENCO.

The Hai Phong Department of Health estimated the city’s hospitals created around 7,500 kg of medical waste per day, of which 800kg was solid toxic waste.

The city’s old incinerator built in 2002 is now outdated and not designed to process such a large amount of medical waste.

Tru said the incinerator built with the latest Japanese technology offered more than three times the capacity at 200kg per hour for 50 per cent less fuel consumption compared to the old incinerator.

It is also safer for workers to operate due to its automatic waste handling system that allows workers to process waste from a safe distance.

However, test results from water used for the incinerator did not meet Vietnamese standards and needed to be collected and processed separately in the nearby Trang Cat industrial waste treatment compound.

Air and water from neighbouring areas were also tested and came back with satisfactory results.

Kimura Mitsumasa, director of the Industrial Waste Association from Fukushima, said medical waste had to be labelled and transported using specific vehicles and trained workers.

Phung Chi Sy from VITTEP, a HCM City-based environment institute, said workers should be trained and able to categorise medical waste to maximise the incinerator’s efficiency by creating optimal mixtures of waste for the burning process.

Masuda Chikahio, senior representative of JICA Viet Nam, said the project, funded with Japanese Official Development Assistance, was part of a larger programme to encourage small-to-medium-size Japanese companies to transfer technology to Viet Nam.

At a seminar to evaluate the project’s trial phase on Thursday, representatives from other provinces’ health and environment sectors showed interest in the application of the incinerator. — VNS

by: http://vietnamnews.vn/environment/261890/hai-phong-trials-waste-incinerator.html

Incinerators differ from the simpler methods of open burning as the operator has a higher degree of control over the burning process. The resulting higher temperatures, longer holding times and greater turbulence lead to more complete combustion of the waste. Although a wider range of wastes can be destroyed using high temperature single or dual-chambered incinerators, determined efforts should still be taken to reduce the quantity and type of waste generated and to implement other changes which would result in reductions in air emissions. Refer to section 3 for further information proper waste management practices and a listing of what waste can and cannot be incinerated.

The incinerator manufacturer’s operating instructions must be followed at all times to ensure designed temperature, holding time and turbulence conditions are achieved and to avoid damage to the facility. When operating during winter months, additional care must be taken because cold air introduced into the primary and secondary chambers may make it difficult for normal operating temperatures to be achieved. Operators must be properly trained and qualified to operate the equipment under both normal and emergency conditions. Owners are strongly encouraged to consult system manufacturers or other qualified persons with expertise before purchasing an incinerator. Additional guidance on the selection of incinerator technologies and their operational requirements can be obtained by referring to Environment Canada’s Technical Document for Batch Waste Incineration.

The installation and operation of monitoring and control systems is critical for the proper and safe operation of any incinerator.  The design, installation, certification and operation of continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) should comply with the principles described in Environment Canada’s Protocols and Performance Specifications for Continuous Monitoring of Gaseous Emissions  from Thermal Power Generation. While the document is written for power generation facilities, the principles apply equally well to other types of facilities and continuous emissions monitoring systems. For incinerators operating in Nunavut, key operational parameters must be monitored at all times using on-line instruments capable of continuously measuring the combustion process and stack emissions quality. These instruments should be equipped with visible and audible alarms and be on-line whenever the incinerator is in operation, including ‘start-up’ and ‘cool down’ phases. Table 3 lists the monitoring and control system requirements.

Heathrow Airport has announced plans to move an incinerator away from Stanwell and create a 15 mile ‘green ring’ around the town.

The airport said it altered its plans after residents raised concerns over its plans to relocate its incinerator to the Bedfont Road area.

A Labour county councillor however has said it is like moving pieces around a chess board.

Stanwell and Stanwell Moor councillor Robert Evans said: “I welcome very much the changes and that is due to the pressure put on BAA by me and the Labour party.

“But local resident Andrew McLuskey has done all the hard work.

“But in saying that, we are still battling away to stop expansion happening at Heathrow at all.

“There are still serious reservations and I don’t believe an expansion of the airport is right for the area or the whole country.

“We are talking semantics here – it’s a big expansion in a very cramped area. It’s like moving pieces around a chess board – whatever we don’t like around Stanwell will be just as massive somewhere else.”

Changes to the plans include introducing a 15 mile ‘green corridor’ which will increase the amount of recreational space between the town and a new car park south to the airport – which has also been reduced in size.

A new park and an all-weather sports pitch is being mooted for the area, as well as the potential building of ‘balancing ponds’ to help control the release of floodwater.

Roberto Tambini, chief executive of Spelthorne Borough Council, said: “We are delighted that Heathrow has listened to and acted upon our feedback in creating its updated expansion plans and that the residents of Spelthorne have been offered an improved deal as a result.

“I am sure that we can work together and that Heathrow will continue to listen to Spelthorne residents and demonstrate a flexible approach to future proposals.”

Some of the £16 billion of private money being invested will also be used to support the Environment Agency in developing flood prevention schemes to protect homes and property in the surrounding areas.

The airport has also announced plans to fund a new bypass to replace the existing A3044 at Colnbrook and Poyle to ease congestion issues.

John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow said: “The expansion of Heathrow can bring significant benefits for local people as well as the UK economy.

“As well as bringing 50,000 new jobs and 10,000 apprenticeships, we can also improve the environmental landscape around the airport and mitigate some of today’s problems including road congestion and flooding. We continue to improve our plans based on the feedback we receive.”

The Airports Commission is currently assessing the case for expansion of either Heathrow or Gatwick.

Specifications of ovens:

• Installing a readymade concrete base (Precast) with Height 30 cm above the ground and 20 cm below the surface of the earth.
• The dimensions of the base are increased by (2 meters) from the edge of incinerators
• The rest of the accessories in all the trends even allows the worker directly feeding and maintenance work, cleaning and move easily taking into account the tendencies of the base toward the door for drainage of water.
• The floor coating must be high-quality epoxy paint.
• Install anti-rust and heat Umbrella of brick and steel (pyramid shape) of (5) meters height above the ground which installed with the edge of the concrete base by thick galvanized columns
• This umbrella Cover the site furnace and allow bringing the chimney
• The site is surrounded by an iron fence (sheet metal) 3 meters height from the surface of the earth in order to protect the incinerators from dust storms
• The iron fence must have a 5 meters Width gate
• Automatic anti-rust and heat electrical circuit must be provided
• The furnaces are highly efficient, emissions-free, safe, and environmentally friendly and have capacity of not less than 3,000 kg of materials and the rate of burning at least 400 kg / h
• The method of feeding the furnace through a side slot or from the top and the emission of the smoke is completely prevented.
• a furnace Must have two rooms, one of them is the main room of not less than the “5” stoves to the process of burning materials and other secondary room of not less “2” stoves to burn resulting gas from the first process as well as the chimney
• The main component of the body of the furnace is stainless steel box, the thickness of not less than 7 mm with a layer of zinc phosphate plated with aluminium reflector to heat
• the thickness of the door of 150 mm and a hardness of not less than 170 kg / m 3 to be burnt, automatic comprehensive remote system.
• Furnaces must be destructive enough to burn and incinerate the material which mentioned previously
• furnaces must have certificates are supported global enterprises and government competent for environmental protection In the country of origin or the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection in Saudi Arabia
• The oven can work for 24 hours so as to allow for the burning of materials for a period of not less than 12 consecutive hours and the remainder for cooling and provides full fuel tank with a capacity of 1000 L to turn on the oven.
• Must have an automatic ignition and diesel is used
• a furnace has the ability to withstand extreme temperatures up to “130o c And also, it guarantees continuous operation of which can be utilized for 24 hours with the ability to remove residues during the work of the oven, Insulating layer of calcium must be present in the rooms with Thickness not less than 50 mm and a wall thickness of 100 mm
• Isolation of burning room: the space between the walls must be of the “stainless steel”. In addition, burn room must fill with Thermal insulation material.
• Ensure that the combustion of materials emitted in the secondary room should be at least two seconds period and the room is lined with high-density ceramic fibbers
• Incinerators must contain a system for processing (purification) gasses before emission of the smoke.
• Incinerators must have the capacity of self-cooling after the end of the daily operating period.
• Incinerators must have chimney not less than “4 meters” height from the surface of the oven, also, it must be thermally insulated and non-rust able, and must also be removable, installation and tide default.
• Electrical capacity required “220/ 380-volt “60 hertz
• Incinerators must be fitted with a control panel of the electronic keys to monitor all the necessary indicators of activation keys, as well as start-up and switch off so as to be isolated inside a metal box with the presence of the following:

Alarm Sensor in the event of (crashes “burner” or purification device or heat leakage       or internal connections and wiring)

Monitors for the temperature of the rooms

Aerosols Filter indicators/ monitors

Room temperature sensors

Indicators for furnaces and index overload

Timer for Extinguish the oven automatically depending on the time required.

• All equipment must be highly resistant to external conditions such as high temperature (50oc)
• All doors must have special lock are not allowed non-persons appointed to work.
• Providing fire extinguisher for each site with a capacity of 10 kg at least