Awards
2009 summit award® recipients
the environment and
sustainability award
The Calgary Biocell Project
This award recognizes excellence in the application of engineering, geological and geophysical methods towards preservation of the environment and the practice of sustainable development.
The Calgary Biocell Project began in 2003 when the City of Calgary embarked on a collaborative venture with local consultants and Dr. Patrick Hettiaratchi, P.Eng. The result was a biocell able to break down biodegradable materials in the city’s garbage, reducing the amount of waste that ends up in a conventional landfill.
The Calgary Biocell Project is a leader in waste management planning with its innovative understanding of the cell as a waste processing facility rather than as a long-term storage facility. After waste is processed in the biocell, only 30 per cent of the original mass will remain for ultimate disposal. The Calgary biocell, constructed as a full-scale pilot facility, has a footprint of 85m X 85m and a maximum height of 15m. The cell contains 30,000 tonnes of residential solid waste and 25,000 tonnes of selected commercial waste.
Because such a collaborative venture requires careful planning, a project review team consisting of the consultants, City of Calgary engineers and Dr. Hettiaratchi’s research team was formed to review every aspect of the project. Design and construction of the biocell was the responsibility of Stantec while the operation is the responsibility of CH2M HILL. Other project team members include David Griffiths, P.Eng., Jasna Hundal, P.Eng., Corey Colbran, P.Eng., and Damian Cox, P.Eng., Waste and Recycling Services, The City of Calgary; Don Davies and Nandana Perera, P.Eng., Stantec Consulting Ltd; Norman Richards, P.Eng., NLR Consulting; Charles Smith, P.Eng., and Lukas Novy, E.I.T., CH2M HILL; and Dr. Anil Mehrotra, P.Eng., Director of the Centre for Environmental Engineering Research and Education at the University of Calgary.
The biocell concept involves the operation of a waste cell in three stages. The first stage of the Calgary biocell started when waste was added to the biocell in the summer of 2005. As the waste decomposed the resulting leachate was collected from the bottom of the cell and re-circulated into the cell, which increased biological activity and lead to production of greater amounts of methane. The resulting gas was of a higher quality and volume than gas from a traditional landfill cell and was used to generate power. By 2007, the biocell was producing enough gas to feed an on-site generator. The second stage will begin once methane production is no longer economical for recovery. In this stage, air is injected into the biocell to convert it into a large in-ground composter. During this stage, the biocell will produce stable organic material that could be used as low-quality compost or refuse derived fuel (RDF) that could be used to generate energy. In the third and final stage, the biocell will be mined to recover resources and space. Compost, RDF and any recyclable materials will be recovered and the remaining waste will be sent to a conventional landfill.
If biocell technology is applied across the country, Canada could benefit immensely. Conversion of future landfills to biocells could minimize the reliance on the provincial energy grid and decrease the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste management and energy consumption.