PECS - Environmental Solutions

The company that transforms waste into resources using technology and circular economy – it´s the solution for the mining problem in Ecuador

• Communiqué

BACKGROUND

Do you still believe that global warming is a myth? We are surrounded by news and events that clearly demonstrate the damage suffered by our planet due to pollution.

In recent years, nations of the industrialized world have quadrupled their production of household waste, with this figure rising two or three percent per year. On the other hand, proper waste management is inversely proportional to the level of development of the country generating it. Under the shadow of the existential threats of global warming and the collapse of biodiversity, we can also include the intoxication of our planet and our own bodies. The last time that the Earth had CO2 concentrations such as the ones we are experiencing now, was between 3 and 5 million years ago, when the temperature was 2 to 3 degrees warmer and the sea level was between 10 and 20 meters higher than it is now.

THE MINING PROBLEM IN ECUADOR

14% of Ecuadorian territory, equivalent to 9.14 million acres, has been designated for large-scale mining.

A part of the challenge that mining has, is the type of production model it uses, and its environmental and social consequences. The extractive mining model exploits non-renewable resources and, at the same time, sacrifices resources, such as soil, forests, biodiversity and, especially, water. Added to the damage that can be caused to the ancient villages and communities situated inside the mining concessions.

The environmental impacts of mining are more robust that those in oil extraction; for example, the phenomenon known as Acid Mine Drainage pollutes water with heavy metals for hundreds of years, affecting not only the area where the mines operate, but also communities and industries such as: tourism, fish farming, livestock farming and agriculture.

Mining needs to become more environmental sensitive by changing its current model implementing the use of a circular economy model.

Looking beyond the current take-make-waste extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles:

• Design out waste and pollution

• Keep products and materials in use

• Regenerate natural systems

In a circular economy, economic activity builds and rebuilds overall system health. The concept recognizes the importance of the economy needing to work effectively at all scales – for large and small businesses, for organizations and individuals, globally and locally.

Transitioning to a circular economy does not only amount to adjustments aimed at reducing the negative impacts of the linear economy. Rather, it represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience, gener-

ates business and economic opportunities, and provides environmental and societal benefits.

INTEGRAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULAR ECONOMICS THROUGH PECS

Globally, cities alone produce around 10 billion tons of waste per year; and due to a lack of proper management, this waste pollutes the environment and poses a threat to biodiversity and a health risk, among other negative aspects.

Anticipating the urgent need to care for the environment, PECS – ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS – applies disruptive technology and circular economics, transforming waste from different industries into resources that boost sustainable development.

PECS started developing cleaning technologies for abandoned oil pools and oil spills more than 35 years ago. PECS (Petro Ecological Cleaning System) achieves full remediation of the treated sites.

Over the years we have witnessed the increase in pollution, the excessive use of non-renewable resources and the need for a complete waste management process for the industrial production. PECS innovates and responds to this need by introducing circular economy as a key element on its business model, which allows us to recycle waste, promoting the use of recycle raw materials and both minimize the carbon footprint of industries and reduce the generation of environmental liabilities.

PECS is a vital company for the conservation of the environment.

Applying the circular economy in industry implies encouraging the reuse, reparation, renovation and recycling of raw material, extending its useful life and reducing the waste that must be disposed of.

PECS´s goal is to achieve a 100% of waste recycling in a term of 5 years, and consequently eliminating the need for the final disposal of waste without giving it another use.

Right now, PECS not only performs integral waste management for different industries, but also produces products derived from waste or PRODUCTSdr, such as: blocks, fertilizer, filling land and additives.

• FERTILIZERdr results from using organic waste with an improved composting method, which is used in crops of cocoa and palm trees, among others.

• FILLING LANDdr is the recovery of drilling muds, soils and tank bottom sludges that used to be contaminated, which, after completing their treatment and monitoring process, are used to rehabilitate areas that require filling material.

• ADDITIVEdr results from the recycling of waste contaminated with oil.

• In 2018, with the production of the PECS´S ADDITIVEdr for industrial use, enough energy was recycled to light the equivalent of 1931 professional football matches. At the same time, this process avoided the generation of 29.17 million pounds of CO2.

• BLOCKSdr are made with the ashes of the incineration of waste. 100% of the ashes are used to create bricks, cobblestones, pavers, curbs, etc. This initiative allows that the final disposal of the ash in confinement cells is no longer necessary. ✖

PECS – A VITAL COMPANY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT