Advanced pollution control systems at sludge treatment plant
I wish to correct what was stated in Peter Reid's letter ("Incinerator for sewage sludge generating a lot of air pollution", June 3) about the sludge treatment facility which is in the final stages of construction.
Hong Kong is served by an intensive network of sewage treatment works, which generate a large amount of sludge requiring disposal in a proper and environmentally sound manner.
At present, approximately 1,000 tonnes of sewage sludge generated every day is disposed of at the three landfills. Considering landfilling is not a sustainable disposal option, in 2003 the government began the planning and development of a sludge treatment facility at Nim Wan, Tuen Mun.
With a treatment capacity of 2,000 tonnes per day, it is being commissioned and tested for operation by the end of this year. It adopts fluidised bed incineration, a well-proven technology with outstanding operational, safety and environmental performance records for large-scale thermal treatment of homogeneous materials such as sludge.
The facility is equipped with advanced pollution abatement and control systems coupled with continuous emission monitoring to ensure the flue gas emissions comply with stringent European Union emission standards.
The statutory environmental impact assessment study has shown the facility will have no adverse air quality impact to air-sensitive receivers in the vicinity and those in the Tuen Mun town area.