Kazan University to Assist in Community Oversight of a New Waste Incineration Plant

The University and Kazan Mayor's Office study mechanisms of establishing an independent system of industrial emission monitoring.

The incineration plant project has sparked heated debate in Kazan. Both proponents and opponents have some sound arguments in it.

As a result, the Institute of Environmental Sciences of KFU was invited to analyze all the aspects of the project, including technological and waste treatment processes, and to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed ecological monitoring system and expected effects of the plant’s functioning on public health.

On April 26th a joint team of KFU employees and municipal officials together with community activists visited the 3rd Moscow Waste Incineration Plant to familiarize themselves with its technology, environmental protection measures, and paperwork.

The 3rd Plant was reconstructed in 2004 – 2007 by EVN AG. The projected capacity is 360 thousand tons of solid waste a year. About 50 tons are burnt in an hour at 1000 degree temperatures. Most of the pollutants are thus destroyed. The smoke is treated in a complex three-tier cleaning system. The gas cleaning system also includes a two-stage quasi-dry catalyzed cleaning.

Vice-Rector for Innovation Andrey Artemyev commented, «Today at Kazan University we have a full set of top-notch equipment which can conduct all types of instrumental control of the main types of chemical pollution; there is also an innovative system of biological monitoring of water and air emissions. It’s a new patented method where air and water samples are given to live microorganisms which detect different types of pollution. This is especially pertinent for the incineration plant because we cannot check what gets into the waste, but the biological control can».

Community activists are concerned that the investors might be lax in environmental protection and cleaning measures, so the monitoring must be under independent supervision.

Kazan University is currently working with the Mayor's Office to launch a new system of independent ecological monitoring of industrial waste; the system can be used for the proposed incineration facility if it comes to be.