Metro Vancouver's first biosolids dryer will help region manage increase in sewage sludge
Plans to build Metro Vancouver’s first-ever biosolids dryer are underway, but project costs have increased by 70 per cent since it was first proposed in 2019.
On Oct. 29, the Metro Vancouver authority passed its spending budget for the coming year, making way for new projects, including a new facility that will transform sewage sludge into tiny, dry pellets.
“It's a proven technology that's in use throughout North America. But for us, it's a new addition,” said Lilian Zaremba, a program manager for Metro Vancouver’s liquid waste services.
The newly passed budget will also mean an increase in cost for households. In 2022, residents will contribute an annual average of $595 per household for all regional services, a $21 increase from 2021. The majority of the authority’s money comes from utility fees.
“(This is) a $21 increase over the prior year, but $17 less than what was previously projected,” reads a news release about the 2022 budget.
The biosolid drying facility, with construction set to begin 2024, will allow the Metro Vancouver authority to recover nutrients from wastewater (which contains poop and urine) and deal with a steady increase in sewage water as the population grows.
It’s tempting to refer to the project as a “poop dryer,” but Zaremba cautions against such oversimplification.
In Metro Vancouver, wastewater from toilets and sinks is processed at sewage plants with heat and microbes to destroy bad bacteria and reduce stinky smells. The liquid gets separated out, Zaremba explains, leaving behind a thick, grainy sludge called biosolids.
“Biosolids are like earth or soil that you pick up with your hands,” she said. Currently, this stuff is used in soil for landscaping or restoring land. But, according to Metro Vancouver, the region’s production of biosolids will soon outpace its need, resulting in an excess of biosolids.
Adding a dryer into the mix of options will help deal with the excess of biosolids. The dryer will transform the grainy, moist material into pellets that can be used as a low-carbon fuel in cement plants or mixed with other ingredients to become a fertilizer.
“Cement kilns can use these dried biosolids pellets as an alternative fuel and that reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” Zaremba said.
The biosolids dryer will likely be built adjacent to the sewage treatment plants on Annacis Island or in northwest Langley, Zaremba said. And, the machines will turn that sludge into dry pellets.
These little pellets look “like instant coffee,” she said.
The initial estimate for the project when it was proposed in 2019 was $197 million, but the latest projected cost is $337.7 million, a rise due in part to a project delay and an addition.
“We added some scope to treat the condensate, which is the liquid that comes out of the dryer … We need to treat that liquid before putting it in the treatment plant,” she said.
“Then there's escalation in construction costs,” she said. “During COVID, looking at ... the fiscal constraints in the region, we were looking at smoothing out the budget to reduce the household impact.”
“So this project was seen as something that could wait a couple years,” she said.
Making sure that the project doesn’t produce awful smells is a top priority in the design, Zaremba said.
“It won't increase the odours that anyone passing by our treatment plants already (notices),” she said.
“I know that's a concern for people when they hear the word ‘biosolids dryer,’ but it will be designed with very stringent odour controls.”
“We do have already low odours around our treatment plants and so it won’t increase the odours that are noticed in the treatment plant,” Zaremba said.
Correction
Nov. 7: This story has been updated from a previous version to correct its start date.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Campus protests: Israeli academics say their universities are 'best chance' for peace
One of the demands of pro-Palestinian activists who have set up protest encampments on university campuses in Canada and the United States is a severing of ties with Israeli universities.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.