Air Quality
Reducing Odours
Throughout 2007, Syncrude took a variety of measures to reduce emissions and odours stemming from our operation.
Scientists at our research facility in Edmonton made significant progress on identifying the compounds that caused odour issues during the start-up of the new flue gas desulphurization (FGD) plant in May 2006. The FGD is designed to eliminate virtually all sulphur dioxide emissions from our new coker. To do this, it uses ammonia, which we were producing on our site. Our research discovered that certain compounds created during the process caused the odours. Since then, we have been using commercial ammonia purchased from an off-site source that does not contain those compounds. As a result, there have been no further odours sourced back to this unit due to this cause. In the future, Syncrude aims to once again use ammonia produced on our site, and research is underway to ensure it is free of odour-causing compounds.
Odours coming from Syncrude's effluent pond also were noticed between October 2006 and May 2007. To address this concern, we took actions to modify equipment and operating practices, all of which were in place by mid-year 2007. As well, the Alberta government issued an Environmental Protection Order to Syncrude in August 2007 calling for additional mitigation efforts. Since then, we have been working closely with government officials to ensure we are doing everything practically possible to reduce further odours.
Syncrude appreciates that area residents have a right to good air quality. To ensure the timely identification of anything that could negatively impact this, we continually monitor air quality across our site, and are also kept informed by the Wood Buffalo Environmental Association, which operates 12 air quality monitoring stations throughout the oil sands region, including the communities of Fort McKay, Fort Chipewyan, Anzac, and Fort McMurray. Syncrude also encourages regional residents to report odours to Alberta Environment's 24-hour hotline at 1-800-222-6514.
Emissions Reduction Project
Construction on Syncrude's Emissions Reduction Project (SERP) continued in 2007. The project should reduce emissions of sulphur compounds to an annual average of less than 100 tonnes per day after it is operating to specification around 2011. SERP will retrofit flue gas scrubbing facilities into the operation of Syncrude's two original cokers and, when combined with Stage 3 improvements, should reduce stack emissions of sulphur compounds by 60 percent from current approved levels of 245 tonnes per day. Emissions of particulate matter also should be significantly reduced.