industrial
The construction of the pipeline will also have an impact on the technological side, this will consist of the potential costs for the expansion, the research of possible solutions if a spill takes place, and the benefits of building the pipeline. Some benefits would include an increase in construction jobs within British Columbia and a net increase for Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).
expansion
The Trans Mountain Pipeline transports natural gas, gasoline, crude oil, carbon dioxide (CO2), etc. Once the expansion of the pipeline is finished, this will triple the capacity for transporting crude oil, from 48,000 to 142,000 cubic metres per day (300,000 to 890,000 barrels). There will be additional infrastructure located at the Burnaby Tank Farm that will increase its storage -- from 13 large tanks to 27. The capacity will go from 255,000 to 875,000 cubic metres (Trans Mountain, 2016).
enzymatic bioremediation
The chance of an oil spill cannot be prevented, so instead of lowering the chances of a spill, Kinder Morgan can focus on the clean up process. A potential solution would be enzymatic bioremediation to break down the oil quickly. It is applied to the spill and the natural remediation is initiated. It breaks down spilled oil on the affected area into carbon dioxide and water. Bioremediation is cost effective and a nature-friendly biotechnology that is powered by microbial enzymes (Live Mint, 2015).
microbes & enzymes
Microbes are microorganisms that break down environmental pollutants, in order to clean up a polluted site. These microbes consume the organic mass of wastewater and utilize the nutrients from sewage for their growth, ultimately enhancing the cleaning action of wastewater. The treatment can restore water quality and increases the self-cleansing capacity of the water. The microbes are placed on the affected parts of the ocean, fresh water, or land based environments to begin the treatment. This method is able to to remove oil and does not pose a threat to the environment (Earth Repair, n.d.).
Sometimes enzymes are added with the microbes to help speed up the process of enzymatic bioremediation. The enzymes act as a catalyst, which in turn speeds up the microbes’ actions (Live Mint, 2015).
current solutions
The Trans Mountain Pipeline currently uses the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to gather pipeline data, such as rate-of-flow in the pipeline, pressure, temperature, and density of product. This system helps detect leaks and send workers to patch the leak before the spill gets any worse (Kinder Morgan, n.d.). Another tool Kinder Morgan uses in the pipeline are “smart pigs,” which are inspection gauges that can perform various maintenance operations on a pipeline without stopping the flow (Stafford, 2013).