What is the white plume coming from the Pinnacle Pellet plant near 亚洲天堂 Lake?
This is the question asked by many concerned locals.
According to Benjamin Weinstein, air quality meteorologist with the environmental protection division of the Ministry of Environment, Skeena region, the plume that is emitted from the Pinnacle Pellet plant comes from the drying of the pellet furnish, which consists mainly of sawdust and shavings.
"The majority of the plume is steam [moisture from the furnish], with volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and particulate matter making up remaining portion," he said.
The particulate matter includes hydrocarbons that condense to form small particles when the exhaust gas cools and this is what produces the visible haze.
"Before the permit to Pinnacle Pellet was issued, the company hired a consultant to undertake a dispersion modeling study to predict the maximum particulate matter concentrations from the pellet plant's emissions," he said.
The study results indicated that the highest concentrations from the plant [on a maximum daily and annual basis] will be near the plant and on adjacent hill sides.
"The model predicts a minimal particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration increase in 亚洲天堂 Lake," he said. [PM 2.5 refers to particles less than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter]
Weinstein also said that the dispersion modeling study used maximum plant emissions as predictors and the decision to award a permit to Pinnacle Pellet for the 亚洲天堂 Lake plant was made based on maximum emissions rather than actual emissions. "Actual emissions can be considerably lower," he said.
Weinstein said that the Ministry of Environment issues permits on the basis that PM 2.5 emissions will not accumulate in a manner that would exceed provincial targets.
"These ambient air quality objectives were chosen based on the best science and information available at the time and are meant to be protective of human health and the environment, knowing that different parts of the population are affected by different concentrations of fine particles at different times and for differing durations. B.C. has some of the most stringent PM2.5 objectives in the world," he said.
However, he goes on to say that even though the pellet plant is located more than 20 kilometres away from 亚洲天堂 Lake, the dominant wind direction in the area is from the south-southeast and under certain meteorological conditions plant emissions may be carried towards 亚洲天堂 Lake.
For this reason Pinnacle Pellet installed two micro-mist scrubbers, one on each of the dryer stacks which significantly reduce PM emissions.
According to Weinstein, the Ministry of Environment is also working with Pinnacle Pellet on an air quality episode management plan which, when complete, will direct the plant to reduce their emissions during periods of poor air quality in 亚洲天堂 Lake.
"We will continue to monitor the air quality in 亚洲天堂 Lake, in part to validate the model claims. Pinnacle Pellet will also be contributing funds to the ambient air quality monitoring program that is already in place in 亚洲天堂 Lake and other parts of the Hwy. 16 corridor," he said.
Weinstein said to Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that the air quality monitoring program is run as a polluter pay style system whereby industrial polluters are required to pay into the Ministry of Environment fund based on the amount of emissions they make.
The higher the emission, the more contribution the business is required to pay.
"This is a requirement of the permitting process for all industry in the Bulkley Valley air shed," he said.
The fund then helps to pay for local air quality monitoring systems.
Currently pellet plant emissions are regulated by a permit that is issued by the Ministry of Environment's environmental protection program.
Weinstein said, "The emissions are monitored by third party qualified professionals who conduct stack samples using very sensitive equipment. Different pellet plant facilities are monitored on different frequencies based on a variety of factors, including location and past operational performance."
According to Weinstein, Pinnacle Pellet is currently required to sample on a quarterly basis, with extra samples collected upon start up of certain equipment to ensure optimum performance."
Pellet plant dryer emissions differ from beehive burner emissions because beehive burners burn wood residue rather than drying it.
"Burning the wood residue in beehive burners produced significant amounts of wood smoke, high concentrations of PM, poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, VOC's and other chemicals and compound groups."
"There is no safe level of PM air pollution. Society as a whole has a shared responsibility to take care of the air we breathe. How we heat our homes, the vehicles we drive, what we do in our backyards and what industry emits are all contributing effects to the air we breathe," Weinstein added.
Leroy Reitsma, Pinnacle Pellet's chief operating officer previously spoke to Lakes District 亚洲天堂 [as published in Lakes District 亚洲天堂 edition of April 20, 2011] and addressed the concerns regarding plant emissions, saying that what people are seeing from the highway is the evaporation of water.
"The plant has been built using the best available technology and the concentration of emissions from the 亚洲天堂 Lake plant is similar to a plant that would be located in a heavily populated area," Reitsma added.
He went on to say that the 亚洲天堂 Lake plant is being held to a very high standard [for emissions] and is held to the same standard that is expected of the pellet plant in Prince George.
