How Kamloops, British Columbia, Tackled Waste-to-Energy Efforts

When the City of Kamloops began to see wastewater as a resource, it turned to GTI for a biogas collection cover system

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How Kamloops, British Columbia, Tackled Waste-to-Energy Efforts
The cover that GTI designed and installed for the City of Kamloops is helping control odor pollution. The City has plans to someday recover the biogas energy.

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The customer:
The City of Kamloops, located in the interior of British Columbia along the scenic Thompson River, operates a wastewater treatment facility that services a population of more than 80,000 people. The facility currently treats a daily flow of approximately 9.25 mgd, and has provision to accommodate a daily flow increase provision up to 15.85 mgd as a result of a recent upgrade project.

The customer’s needs:
The city’s Liquid Waste Management Plan identified an opportunity to use wastewater as a resource, rather than treating it solely as waste. One method was to capture biogas produced from the anaerobic treatment of wastewater so that it could be used to generate energy — heat or electricity — for the wastewater treatment facility.

The energy is created as microorganisms associated with the anaerobic lagoon digest biological material within the wastewater. This process releases valuable biogas — a mix of methane and carbon dioxide — but it also releases foul odor. To capture the biogas and control the odor problem, a gastight cover would be required.

The solution:
The city selected Geomembrane Technologies Inc. (GTI) to design, fabricate and install an insulated floating gas collection cover to contain foul odor, as well as capture and deliver biogas for energy recovery.

The project also included the design and installation of a gas handling system to safely operate the gas collection cover. The gas handling system regulates the withdrawal of biogas from underneath the cover using a blower and an automatic control system. The system maintains a consistent vacuum by removing biogas at the same rate as it is generated. The gas collection cover is drawn to the surface of the water, helping protect it from any potential damage.

The results:
The cover that GTI designed and installed for the City of Kamloops is helping control odor pollution. Currently, collected biogas is flared off to reduce odors and decrease the potency of associated greenhouse gases. The city has considered future plans to recover the energy of the biogas using a turbine or generator. GTI’s cover system is helping to “Make Kamloops Shine” and is a testament to the city’s proactive environmental protection and waste-to-energy efforts.

About GTI
For more information, visit our website at www.gticovers.com or email us at covers@gticovers.com. Or, call 506/452-7304 or 855/484-4630. 



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