Wastewater Technology Centre (WTC)

March 2003

What is it?

The Environmental Technology Advancement Directorate's Wastewater Technology Centre (WTC) located in Burlington, Ontario, has been in operation since 1972. It provides specialized science and technical, research and development support as well as demonstration and validation for Environment Canada (EC) technology advancement programs. The WTC focuses on: developing and assessing novel wastewater treatment technologies; developing the industrial applications of microwave-assisted processes (MAP™) family of technologies and other technologies for waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction; providing analytical and technical support to selected EC programs and protocols; providing outreach such as transferring technology. The WTC has a unique work environment with all fields such as, clean processes, and wastewater under one roof with an "one-window" access to expertise including chemistry, physics, microbiology, civil and chemical engineering and related services. The versatility of the pilot plant set-up, together with its built-in specialized infrastructure and high technology equipment, promotes interchange with the private sector and other government departments. The built-in primary municipal wastewater effluent loop at the pilot plant allows on site testing of innovative treatment processes.

Who are our partners?

Most of the R&D work, and some of the science and technical support services, are undertaken in collaboration with the public, private, federal and academic sectors in Canada and abroad. Contractors working on- and off-site perform a significant part of the work.

What are the benefits?

The Centre is well equipped and has the knowledge and experience to support the Department's national and international mandate for environmental protection. The WTC serves and supports EC priorities by developing and validating technology applications for pollution prevention, clean processes, wastewater, and climate change.

How is it delivered?

• Three divisions carry out laboratory and field activities: Wastewater, Clean Processes and Outreach. The Wastewater Division develops and assesses novel industrial and municipal wastewater and biosolids treatment technologies to supports EC's efforts in pollution prevention. The Centre also assists in microbiological and pathogen identification; and toxic substance management.
• The Clean Processing Division develops the MAP™ family of technologies and other technologies, offering high potential for waste and GHG emissions reduction. This work supports EC's efforts in managing existing toxic substances and identifying new ones as well as new "alternative" energy source processes.
• The Outreach Division oversees the laboratory operations that provide analytical services to EC programs such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) inspectors for ongoing investigations and to Federal Game Officers for legal samples. The laboratories also develop protocols associated with substances added to the Priority Substances List (PSL) and in support of Canadian Wildlife Service activities as required. They also develop methods for, and provide analytical and technical services to, multi-year research programs such as endocrine-disrupting substances and wastewater treatment. The Division manages intellectual property for technologies developed in-house, transfers technologies.

Progress and opportunities

• The WTC and the National Water Research Institute (part of the Environmental Conservation Service) carried out a joint study from 1997 to 2000 to investigate the prevalence and impacts of selected endocrine-disrupting substances (EDS) from Canadian municipal wastewater treatment plants. The WTC was responsible for assessing the presence and release of EDS in wastewaters and biosolids from the plants and estimated the degree to which the treatment process might affect the amount of EDS removed. Results indicated that there were significant levels of estrogen-type hormones, alkylphenolics, and chemicals in raw sewage, and that treatment plants were able to reduce their levels to varying degrees, depending on the type of treatment process used in each plant and how well the plant was operated.
• The WTC is providing support on an ongoing basis for the four-year North Toronto Combined Sewer Overflow project. The Centre is examining the feasibility of using polymer coagulation to achieve better removal of suspended solids in the overflow discharge that occurs during high rainfall and snowmelt. This novel process can increase the treatment rate and, thereby, reduce the size of the facility by as much as tenfold as compared to the conventional physical settling process.
• In further support of the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, the WTC is engaged in a number of projects that involve developing innovative sewage treatment processes, plant optimization techniques and best management practices that will lead to low-cost alternatives in meeting effluent requirements.
• The WTC carries out a number of projects that support CEPA 1999 implementation and municipal wastewater effluent. These include a guidance manual for selecting treatment processes to retrofit sewage treatment plants for ammonia removal; development of a rapid method for plant-specific determination of nitrification rates which are essential for proper process design for ammonia removal; and research on the levels and fate of endocrine-disrupting substances, as well as on process optimization to maximize their removal. In addition, WTC has completed a report on the estimated capital investment required to upgrade Canadian wastewater treatment plants to achieve targeted levels of treatment.
• The WTC was a key contributor to the 2001 Municipal Water/Wastewater Uses Database (MUD) update, and provided the technical foundations for the wastewater component of EC's national survey of Canadian wastewater treatment facilities.
• The WTC's microbiology laboratory is developing innovative methods for the detection of pathogens in municipal wastewater and biosolids. Through a Strategic Technology Applications of Genomics for the Environment (STAGE) program, a state-of-the-art DNA microarray facility is being constructed. The microarray facility will provide a method of screening a large number of pathogen species at one time in a cost effective and safe manner. It will be used as a microbiological evaluation tool to test new wastewater technologies as well as a means of screening existing technologies. The facility will demonstrate WTC's commitment to safer water and better health.
• The WTC houses the pilot plants associated with the MAP™ family of technologies. These unique facilities offer existing and prospective industrial players to assess the commercial viability of implementing the low-energy, low-emission MAP™ technologies in their processing activities. The facilities offer capacity in terms of extraction, volatile generations and chemical synthesis, in addition to more conventional applications of microwaves such as dehydration and drying of solid products.