(MERAF) for the Base Metals Smelting Sector - CCME

Noranda Gaspé
Rest of Sector**
Site Option for Reduction By 2008 Option for Reduction By 2015
Operating Savings: No savings
Reduction: Greater than 80% of
toxics, PM. Greater than 90% of
SO 2. . (Values for future projections
as provided by Horne assumed).
Incremental Improvements
Reduction: Assumed 10% of toxics,
PM and SO 2. .
Incremental Improvements
Reduction: Assumed 10% of toxics,
PM and SO 2. .
Smelter Modernization
Capital Cost: $50 to 100 million
Operating Savings: $2 million/year
potential costs due to additional acid
production
Reduction: Greater than 90% of toxics,
PM and SO 2 . (90% assumed).
Incremental Improvements
Reduction: Assumed 10% of toxics,
PM and SO 2. .
* These technologies are currently under development and require additional development effort
and pilot-plant scale testing.
** Reductions for the “Rest of Sector” are assumed to be 10% of the total releases for all the
facilities not specifically identified, not for each individual facility.
The removal of total particulate matter and/or the removal of sulphur dioxide is
likely to result in the removal of many of the CEPA-toxics that were the focus of
the Strategic Options Report (i.e., heavy metals).
With respect to the other pollutants subject to the MERS process (e.g., CO, VOC,
NO x ), these options should not lead to an increase in their production and
emission.
S.5 Conclusions and Recommendations
The following conclusions and recommendations were developed:
S.5.1 Conclusions
Except for emissions of SO 2 , which represent 36% of all SO 2 emissions from
industrial sources, it has been concluded that emissions of other precursors of
PM and ozone from the BMS sector are relatively very small.
This report’s primary focus was therefore on Total Particulate Matter (TPM),
metal compounds, and SO 2 .
The substances of most interest for the Base Metals Smelting Sector are either
on the List of Toxic Substances in Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act 1999 (e.g., Lead, Mercury, Inorganic arsenic compounds,
Inorganic cadmium compounds, etc.) or have been proposed by the Ministers for
addition to CEPA 1999 Schedule 1 (e.g., Sulphur Dioxide, Releases from copper
smelters and refineries and zinc smelters and refineries).
For the toxic substances currently on the List of Toxic Substances,
recommendations for their management were put forward to Ministers of the
Environment and Health in the June, 1997 Strategic Options Report (SOR),
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