An innovative,
clean and efficient sludge-treatment process will emerge on the market
soon, under a partner agreement signed recently by Hydro-Québec
and Fabgroups Technologies of Montreal.
Plasma-assisted sludge oxidation
(PASO) is an advanced technology developed by LTEE, Hydro-Québec’s
electrochemical and electrotechnologies laboratory. Hydro-Québec
has licensed Fabgroups Technologies to manufacture and market a rotary
kiln equipped with an electric plasma torch. The kiln can be used
to process organic sludge from a variety of sources.
"In developing the OHAP system,
we applied our expertise in the design, manufacture and sale of our world-class
line of process equipment," said Paul Herrbach, president of Fabgroups
Technologies, pointing out that the company has 40 years of experience,
four plants and a highly skilled workforce.
The project is the result of
close collaboration between Hydro-Québec’s Sales – Large Customers
unit, the Customer Service department, and the LTEE. All three were firmly
committed to making this high-potential project a reality. The first kiln
should be installed by fall 2002.
«The project was launched
in 1997 at the request of pulp and paper mills that were having trouble
disposing of their solid waste,» explains Richard Aubry, General
Manager, Sales – Large Customers. «The LTEE took up the challenge
of developing the right solution for their needs. Four years later, we
have an innovative, cost-effective solution to offer our customers. We’re
very happy with the fast response time and with the quality of the process.»
A large market and a promising
future
The main industries that can
benefit from this new technology are pulp and paper (primary and secondary
sludge), agribusiness (sludge containing fats, proteins and carbohydrates),
wastewater treatment plants, and various other industries that produce
organic solid waste. The Quebec market for PASO is estimated at 2
million tonnes a year for pulp and paper, 1.9 million tonnes for pig manure,
and a little over 650,000 tonnes for municipal wastewater.
Environmentally superior
This energy-efficient technology,
which consumes less than 100 kWh of electricity per wet tonne of sludge,
offers an excellent alternative to incineration, landfill disposal, or
sludge farming (spreading on land surfaces)—three methods that can be highly
detrimental to the environment. Plants that produce large quantities of
sludge will be able to reduce their waste volume by 95%.
Cost-effective
The PASO process is much more
economical than incineration, for example. Purchase and operation costs
for the kiln compare favorably with the average cost of sludge farming
or landfill disposal.
Hydro-Québec promotes
leading-edge R&D on innovative technologies designed to make more efficient
use of electricity. The LTEE is a research centre whose mission is to test
and validate the technical feasibility of electrotechnologies, in addition
to developing methods and processes that give Quebec companies a competitive
edge by reducing their energy costs. The laboratory, located in Shawinigan,
Que., received an Énergia award from the Association québécoise
de la maîtrise de l'Énergie for its PASO process.
Fabgroups Technologies
offers specialized industrial manufacturing services, mainly related to
the environment or to waste treatment and recycling.
Please contact us if you would like more information on this state-of-the-art technology, or to obtain an interview with the people responsible for the agreement.
For information : 2001-151
Hydro-Québec - Media and Emergency Communication Team
Christine Martin (martin.christine@hydro.qc.ca)
Tel:(514) 289-2289
www.hydroquebec.com/media
