A significant part of Plasco’s philosophy is a commitment to using the best available technologies to minimize our facilities’ environmental footprint and to have an environmental performance that far exceeds regulatory standards.
Processing waste through the Plasco Conversion System reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in two ways. First, it eliminates the methane that would form if the waste were landfilled – this is significant since methane has a global warming potential 23 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2). Second, power generated from our process displaces power from other sources such as coal. The result is that a Plasco Facility reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
At Plasco Trail Road, the air emissions are associated with ultra-low engine exhaust from generating electricity in the engines. Plasco has invested in the best available gas cleaning technologies to ensure that the syngas is clean prior to delivering it to the engines. Plasco is committed to going beyond compliance. Below is Plasco’s emission profile.
| Parameter | Units | US EPA 40 CFR 60 Eb | EU | Plasco Demonstration Limits | Plasco Actuals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Particulate Matter | mg/Rm3 | 14 | 9 |
17 |
0.73 |
| Organic Matter | mg/Rm3 | - | 9 |
66 |
0 |
| Hydrogen Chloride | mg/Rm3 | 27 | 9 |
27 |
0.28 |
| Sulphur Dioxide | mg/Rm3 | 56 | 46 |
56 |
38 |
| NOx | mg/Rm3 | 202 | 183 |
207 |
107 |
| Mercury | μg/Rm3 | 35 | 46 |
20 |
0.2 |
| Cadmium | μg/Rm3 | 7 | 46 |
14 |
0 |
| Lead | μg/Rm3 | 98 | - |
142 |
0.2 |
| Dioxins and Furans | ngTEQ/Rm3 | 9 | 0.092 |
0.08 |
0.001 |
* Plasco Flare with Engine No. 1 exhaust (100% MSW) as submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Environment in Interim
Source Test report (HCl, SO2 and NOx maximum 24 hr average during source test)
Notes: 1. All values are expressed at 11%O2 and regular conditions (101.3 kPa, 25˚C)
2. EU regulations combine Thallium with Cadmium and Lead with Class III Metals
While most jurisdictions require that hazardous waste like batteries and thermometers, be disposed of in controlled facilities, these heavy metals still enter the primary waste stream and unfortunately end up in landfills and incinerators. In a conventional landfill these substances would slowly poison our land and water system. The Plasco Conversion System removes these hazardous substances that enter the waste stream and sends them for controlled disposal in a hazardous waste facility. With a typical North American municipal waste stream, the total heavy metals sent for disposal — including the activated carbon screen they are caught in — amount to about 5% of the waste that Plasco processes. The other 95% of the waste is converted into electricity and other saleable products.
It is important to note that these metals are not created by the Plasco Conversion System but are captured by the system to permit safe disposal.