FormerXBC Inc XEBEQ

article translate

[midard]

Recovering natural gas from Brome-Missisquoi waste It won't happen overnight, but in the short and medium term, the methane emissions from the tons of organic matter buried or composted in Brome-Missisquoi could pay off. Last week, the municipal council of Cowansville gave its support to a request for authorization from the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Qubec (CPTAQ) to use for purposes other than agriculture, namely to build a biomethanization, part of lot 3 800 046, i.e. the landfill site on rang St-Joseph where the Brome-Missisquoi intermunicipal residual materials management board (RIGMRBM) is located. This is the project of the Sherbrooke firm Bhler Biogaz, which was initially supposed to materialize in Bromont last spring. The project, estimated at $28 million, was expected to divert 45,000 tonnes of organic matter from landfill annually. “Cowansville has an extraordinary site and it is very well managed,” commented David Bhler, president of the company. As there are already landfill and composting activities on the site, it would be a logical next step to install a biomethanation system there. »

The Municipal Council of Cowansville gave its support to an application for authorization from the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Qubec to use for purposes other than agriculture, namely to build a biomethanization plant, part of the site where is located the Intermunicipal Residual Materials Management Board of Brome-Missisquoi. THE VOICE OF THE EAST, JESSY BROWN It should be noted that Bhler Biogaz is the company that oversaw the construction of the South Crown Mixed Economy Company (SMECS) plant, of which three MRCs are partners with the firm Ethanol Greenfield. SMECS serves nearly thirty municipalities in the RCMs of Rouville, Valle-du-Richelieu and Marguerite-d’Youville, in addition to transforming organic matter in the Longueuil agglomeration. Exploring The approach is intended to be exploratory, however, and nothing is official yet, said in an interview the director general of the RIGMRBM, David Rumsby. First, it is not said that the CPTAQ accepts this change of use. In addition, it is necessary to make sure to carry out the necessary studies that will guarantee the viability of the project, particularly from the point of view of the volumes of gas generated. “The CPTAQ is a first step, reiterates Mr. Bhler. Then, we will study the nature and the quantity of qualifiable matter. The type of material found will determine the cost of the factory and the type of technology that will be best suited. We must also ensure that by bringing the material to the site, we do not produce more gas than what we will capture. In short, we cannot build a factory tomorrow morning, it is a process that will extend over several years. » In doing so, no concrete timetable is yet on the table. Benefits In addition to generating benefits for all the partners involved, this new avenue will be beneficial for the surrounding population, both from an environmental and ecological point of view.

Approximately 75,000 tons of waste are brought to the Brome-Missisquoi Intermunicipal Residual Materials Management Board each year. THE VOICE OF THE EAST, JESSY BROWN "But it is certain that with the government's objectives of managing organic matter in multi-unit buildings and ICI (Institutions, Businesses and Industries), biomethanization is a good option, especially since it will make it possible to avoid landfilling. of these materials," says Rumsby. “Methane [produced by organic matter] is 23 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. In addition, by removing the organic matter destined for landfill, biomethanization will help reduce odors on the site,” says Mr. Bhler. Other outlet The plant project is not the only one to want to bet on the biogas produced by the organic matter of the region. Last year, the Rgie concluded a partnership with the French Waga Energy so that the latter recovers the methane produced by buried organic matter. This biomethane would be enough to supply 1,750 households with energy and would prevent the emission of 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Currently, this methane is flared and serves no purpose. By the end of 2023, when the project should start, the natural gas will be captured by the private partner and sent to the nergir network. Waga Energy undertakes to finance the work to connect the site to the network of the state company. This would offer an advantage to Bhler Biogaz, which could then use part of the infrastructure in the development of its project. Organic matter, when buried, releases methane for up to 25 years, Rumsby tells us. This means that the organic waste buried at the turn of the millennium continues, to this day, to generate gas. In doing so, the agreement with Waga will be for a period of twenty years, it was confirmed last year. Under this partnership, the RIGMRBM is expected to collect royalties for the seven to eight million cubic meters of biogas generated at the landfill during this period. Approximately 75,000 tons of waste are brought to the RIGMRBM annually.