Waste Management and Recycling

Syncrude’s waste management program continues to be guided by the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle (3-R). These efforts are reducing the quantity of solid materials that would otherwise be treated or disposed of in on- and off-site facilities. More than 18,000 tonnes of various materials were sent for recycling or reuse in 2004. In addition:

Syncrude recycled 2,500 cubic metres of waste hydrocarbons such as fuels, lubricants, oil and solvents produced from its various operations as feed for its upgrading operation.
A new program implemented in 2004 allowed for the recycle of 12.3 tonnes of empty aerosol cans plus 2.3 tonnes of rags and other absorbents that were contaminated with flammable hydrocarbons.
A new recycling building was completed on the Syncrude site. It will be the future centre for the recycling programs operated by Syncrude.

Waste Management

	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000
Waste Recycled/Reused - Solid (tonnes) ¹	18,180	15,380	13,540	14,600	22,730
Waste Recycled/Reused - Liquid (m³) ²	3,100	3,030	2,610	4,200	3,400
Waste - Solid Hazardous sent for offsite treatment or destruction (tonnes)	19	73	13	29	101
Waste - Liquid Hazardous sent for offsite treatment or destruction (m³)	38.3	4.1	6.7	4.3	2.8
Waste Disposal - Offsite Hazardous (tonnes)	0	0	0	0	0
Waste Disposal - Offsite Non-Hazardous (tonnes)	0	0	0	0	0
Waste Disposal Onsite Non-Hazardous (tonnes)	88,110	75,460	57,030	48,000	61,340
Waste Disposal - Onsite Hazardous, Non-Hazardous (tonnes)	2,350	1,900	1,360	1,550	1,850
1 Includes catalyst, scrap metal, tires, conveyor belting and batteries. 2 Includes used oil, used solvents and glycol.

Enhanced Naphtha Recovery

A new process unit now in service will help reduce local stakeholder concerns surrounding naphtha-related emissions and air odours. The unit, which is part of Syncrude’s Upgrader Expansion project, is expected to increase by more than 15 per cent the recovery of naphtha that would otherwise have been lost to the tailings stream. Syncrude pioneered naphtha recovery technology many years ago as a means of improving environmental and economic performance. Ongoing refinements to naphtha recovery technology have improved recovery from an initial rate of 65 per cent to more than 90 per cent today. The technology is now also used under license by other oil sands developers.