Industry Making Gains in Reducing Emissions
Thursday, March 7, 2013 @ 3:53 PM
Prince George, B.C. – When residents are asked to take measures to help clean the air in Prince George, the question is often posed "what is industry doing?"
That question was answered today at the clean air forum underway in Prince George.
Adam Lancaster from Canfor Pulp announced not one but two projects Canfor has initiated. In addition to the $170 million dollars worth of upgrades to reduce odour and emissions, Canfor is spending another $15 million on an electro-static Precipitator for the P.G. Pulp mill. The equipment uses static electricity to remove particulate matter from the stack discharge. Once installed it is expected to reduce particulate discharge by more than half.
There are 5 Boilers at the Prince George and Intercon Pulpmills. The completion of this project will mean all five boilers are utilizing the Best Available Technology. The project is projected for completion in the fourth quarter of 2013.
That’s not all.
Canfor had installed an air quality monitor on the Exploration Place property and data gathered at that site showed there were emissions being recorded downstream from the mill that weren’t being picked up at the monitoring site at Plaza 400 downtown. So Canfor has now permanently installed $50 thousand dollars worth of monitoring equipment on the roof of the museum, and is developing an educational kiosk (preliminary images shown at right) for the museum to use that will help kids and their families, learn more about air quality issues.Columbia Bitulithic spokesperson Carrie Comack says the new bag house at the asphalt plant has reduced the asphalt odour, and the company is now using magnesium chloride to reduce dust levels in the gravel operations.
Carrier Lumber’s Martin Meyer says while the single largest improvement to Air quality has been the end of the beehive burners, Carrier has paved it’s roads and much of its surface areas to reduce dust. The company also has an Air Quality advisory plan in place which requires all yard sweeping to be stopped during an advisory.
Pacific Bioenergy has cut its particulate emissions in half since it installed an electrostatic precipitator in 2010. The company has installed huge concrete blocks to contain their wood chip and sawdust supply and prevent dispersion when its windy. The company is spraying the roads with calcium during summer to reduce dust, and has purchased a mobile conveyor so they don’t have to shunt rail cars as often.
Husky Energy ‘s sulphur emissions have reduced since the company completed it’s wastewater treatment facility in 2012. The $15 million dollar project involves a closed vapour recovery system. The new system is about half the length of the refinery. The plant also uses a leak detection and repair program which involves monitoring 10 thousand points within the refinery process. The system notes where maintenance or repairs are needed. Not only has this system improved the air quality within the plant, it has reduced leaks by 51% over the previous year’s mark.
CN, which has taken some heat over the amount of dust it’s downtown operations kick up, has purchased a water truck to spray the rail yard, and is looking at possibly phasing in a paving program.
Northern Health Medical Health Officer, Dr. William Osei, says it is critical for all stakeholders to continue to work together. “If you don’t like your food, you can eat something else. If you don’t like your water, you can drink milk. But if the air quality is bad, you have no choice.”
Comments
Why has CN just bought a water spray truck? Shouldn’t they have been spraying water on their yard a long time ago?
The city with poor street sweeoing is probaly the biggest ofender when it comes to pollution. BCR Indusrial site is about next on the list
Cheers
Since smells from industry are also reduced, that PG smell of springs arrival, dog shit, will be even more noticeable.
The biggest smell is at City Hall, how ’bout that getting the stench removed!!
Sorry, fat thumbs!! Should have read, “getting that stench removed”
Great to hear what industry is doing! Good on them. Can’t wait to see (smell) the results when it’s all complete. How about electric locomotives for moving rail cars in the rail yards?
Now if Northwood could put out the hog pile fires that have been burning all winter.
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