 | | | Environmental performance |
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Waste management
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We are committed to safely and responsibly managing wastes.
Our operations generate a variety of solid and liquid wastes, including used catalysts, office wastes and construction debris. A tiered approach to managing wastes is followed:
> first, focusing on reducing the amount of waste produced
> then, working to reuse or recycle recovered materials
> finally, disposing of remaining waste responsibly
Hazardous wastes are substances requiring specialized procedures for handling and disposal. Examples include materials generated from tank cleaning and contaminated soil. In 2006, total hazardous waste disposed was 28 thousand tonnes, compared with 14 thousand tonnes in 2005. This change was the result of increased waste from Strathcona refinery, additional tank cleaning activities and soil disposal from the Rainbow Pipeline spill.
Reducing solid wastes
The Cold Lake operation recycles the water that is produced along with bitumen. Before this water can be used in the operation’s steam generators, it is treated with chemical additives so it can be fully recycled. This process produces solid wastes that must be stored on site and later landfilled. In 2006, we tested an alternative process that lowers the amount of chemical required for water treatment, thereby reducing waste materials and saving operating costs. This improvement will be introduced in 2007 in all suitable locations.
Reusing hydrocarbon materials
We reuse petroleum waste materials in ways that avoid the costs of waste disposal while saving energy resources. For example, in 2006, the Sarnia research centre began recovering hydrocarbon materials from laboratory sample waste for reuse as refinery feedstock. This resulted in a 68 percent reduction in waste being incinerated, from about 40 tonnes to 13 tonnes each year.
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