Sainte-Sophie: 50,000 m³ of leachate managed on-site every year with Evaplant®

Context

The Sainte-Sophie engineered landfill generates significant volumes of leachate from the percolation of precipitation through the buried residual materials.

This leachate requires active management and must be decontaminated before release to the environment.

The solution implemented

Ramo installed an Evaplant® system on closed cells of the site. Evaplant^® is a patented system designed to supply contaminated water to a fast-growing willow plantation and ensure "no liquid discharge" treatment to the surrounding environment. The process maximizes evapotranspiration while maintaining the conditions needed to degrade, transform, or contain the nutrients, trace elements, and other contaminants present in the water. To control the system, Evaplant^® relies on real-time and forecast climate data as well as soil moisture sensors, to ensure that no measurable leaching or runoff of contaminated water occurs beyond the root zone of the trees.

Initial phase (2018): Pilot-scale research project in collaboration with the Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Polytechnique Montréal, Ramo and WM. ~1.3 ha and ~20,000 willows.

Integration of Evaplant® technology (2020): Retrofit of the pilot project to implement Evaplant® technology. ~1.3 ha and ~20,000 willows.

Expansion (2024–2026): expansion of the system to reach an area of ~12 ha. ~12 ha and ~205,000 willows.

In addition, ~300 m of woven willow fencing was installed around the perimeter of the site to structure the site development.

Results and performance

Treatment without discharge

• up to ~50,000 m³/year of leachate treated without discharge
• no liquid discharge to the receiving environment

Carbon performance

• ~430 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent captured annually

Co-benefits