Funding sought for Alberta waste recycling pilot project

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Published: September 26, 2002

A demonstration project to extract energy, fertilizer and water from

hog manure and distillery waste in Alberta could begin as early as next

year, said Lawrence Loh of the Cement Association of Canada.

Loh said the association recently completed a feasibility study in the

County of Lethbridge, with funding from the Federation of Canadian

Municipalities.

It showed that a European model called Integrated Waste Management

Solutions, or IWMS, was an economically viable and environmentally

efficient solution for agriculture in Canada.

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Loh said his group will now seek funding for a demonstration project

from private and public sources, including the county, the Alberta

government, utility companies and farmers.

He said the project was initiated to help the agricultural sector with

waste management in view of tightening regulations while also helping

create business for the cement industry.

“If the industry goes into a stall, it has implications for us,” he

said, noting the high percentage of concrete used in agricultural

buildings.

The project offers many benefits, Loh said. For farmers, it will

improve the management of livestock waste while ensuring their survival

and sustainability in intensive livestock operations.

For utility companies, there is energy production and the lowering of

greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

For municipalities, it will increase investment and jobs while

creating more sustainable environmentally responsive communities.

David Oseen, reeve of the County of Lethbridge, said his 750,000 acre

municipality includes 600,000 livestock, mainly feeder cattle and some

intensive hog and poultry operations.

“We do have a lot of manure, so this is one good way to process it,”

Oseen said. “Hopefully they’ll find it’s viable.”

The system incorporates wastewater treatment and aerobic and anaerobic

digester systems.

Bacteria digest manure, producing methane and an effluent that farmers

can use in place of untreated manure.

Methane gas known as biogas can be used as an energy source producing

additional electrical and thermal energy while reducing odour and

methane emissions. Excess electricity can be sold to utility companies.

Liquid effluent can be processed through a wastewater treatment process

and used as water for farm application.

The study analyzed the waste mix in the Country of Lethbridge and

determined the commercial viability of the project based on a $9

million investment in a IWMS treatment facility using 100,000 tonnes of

local liquid hog manure and organic wastes from distilleries.

The study found that the facility could reduce greenhouse gas emissions

by approximately 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year while

generating 15 GWh of electrical energy and thermal energy or enough to

power 900 households.

About the author

Karen Morrison

Saskatoon newsroom

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