Trans-Cycle Industries strengthens position in market.

A Kirkland Lake PCB treatment company is poised to expand its operations with the installation of a new non-incineration process for recycling contaminated soils, sludge and debris.

Trans-Cycle Industries (TCI) is prepared to introduce an advanced technology known as the continuous thermal desorption unit (CTDU) that evaporates the contaminants from soil that can later be reused as clean fill.

Though not officially approved for use yet in Ontario, non-incineration is a tried and true process used in Maryland and Guam to clean up particularly sensitive contaminated sites, TCI plant manager Dan McCormack says.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency approved the CTDU to clean up large contaminated sites next to residential areas.

The operation, which would add at least 15 new jobs, is awaiting approval by the Ontario Ministry of Environment. TCI filed an application in April for an amendment to their present certificate of approval for waste disposal. They expect to receive the green light by August.

"The main components are in the back of our facility right now, disassembled," says McCormack. "We still have to build a protection shelter for the contaminated material, and containment pad, and bring services to the new plant. It should take three to four months to be up and running.

"We had some (preliminary) talks with the MOE and they gave us a good feeling."

It will also expand their hours of operations from two shifts over a five-day work week to running 24 hours, seven days a week.

McCormack would only say that TCI's investment in this new technology is "substantial."

Since beginning operations on Archer Drive in Kirkland Lake in 1998, the 39-employee facility has decontaminated and recycled over two million kilograms of PCB-contaminated electrical equipment in Canada. They have serviced more than 150 sites across Canada, and held some national defence contracts.

The American-owned company, considered one of the leading transformer recyclers in North America, also has processing plants in Hudson, N.Y. and Pell City, Ala.

The company receives PCB-laden transformers left over from hydro and large industrial operations of mining and forestry industries from northeastern Ontario and western Quebec. TCI strips out residuals PCB's and any precious metals inside. The cleaned up metals, that otherwise would have ended up in storage or been incinerated, are returned to business for reuse.

The Kirkland Lake plant is the first to incorporate the CTDU process that involves contaminated material being fed into an oxygen-efficient rotary drum which is heated on the outside. The soil is tumbled and contaminants are boiled off and recaptured. Vapours and waste water are collected by recovery and treatment systems.

"You have clean fill coming out of one end, and a small fraction of contaminants that you have to get rid of at end of the day, and that's exactly what we do with metals."

Cleaned and treated soil will later be sold for fill, or deposited on TCI's site. The residual PCB contaminants will be sent for final destruction to a facility in Alberta.

McCormack says this "cutting-edge" technology was first developed in the late 1980s to clean up American military sites and was operational by the mid 1990s.

A CTDU unit operated in southern Maryland for three years at a 26-acre contaminated site where nearby residents were opposed to any kind of incineration. About 244,000 tonnes of soil was treated. The site was honoured with a Presidential Safety Award after the cleanup.

TCI officials say this process places Kirkland Lake at the "forefront of environmentally safe technology" for cleaning and recycling contaminated soils, especially in Northern Ontario where there are numerous abandoned military and industrial sites.

"We need this material to really strengthen our position in the PCB market," adds McCormack. "It's new (technology), but it's proven and we're going to run with it."

A major plus with this technology, in comparison to conventional incineration methods, is that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 10 to 20 times, leaving no impact on the surrounding environment, he adds.

TCI is also keeping a close eye on some pending federal environmental regulations placing storage limitations and timelines on companies storing contaminated materials -- a potential boon to their business. The legislation, which was due out in 2000, is still making its way through Parliament.

"It's good for business since some of these materials are stored at sensitive sites near watersheds, hospitals and schools," says McCormack. "So we're watching it pretty closely."

In early June, TCI showcased their proposal to the community at a recent trade show and open house, attended by about 45 residents, some of whom came looking for jobs.

McCormack says while they addressed some concerns expressed about PCB storage and leaks on the site, most of the comments were positive.

"What we have already is triple-contained. We promise that the material that comes in is in a controlled, regulated matter, and we've delivered to date.