After a successful trial of using drinking water treatment residuals in the production of cement at its Richmond plant, Lafarge Canada and Metro Vancouver have entered a three-year contract, reported the Vancouver Sun. Metro will pay Lafarge about $435,000 a year, which covers capital expenditures, such as additional storage facilities, and the additional mixing that Lafarge needs to do in order to use the material.
The Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant produces about 9,000 tons of residuals a year, which Lafarge plans to use to replace 2,100 tons of rock quarried from Sumas Mountain in Abbotsford. This will allow Lafarge to reduce emissions produced by quarrying and trucking the shale. Lafarge is the only local cement producer equipped to use the residuals in their current form.
The deal will eliminate landfill fees for the residuals, saving Metro Vancouver about $1.3 million over three years.
