Commercial Cannabis Production in British Columbia: Best Available Control Technologies and Regulatory Oversight of Environmental Considerations May 2019 Acknowledgements This report was funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Disclaimer The statements and conclusions contained in this report are those of the contractor (Upland Agricultural Consulting) and not necessarily those of the Governments of Canada and British Columbia and should not be cited or quoted as their official policy or direction. The Governments of Canada and British Columbia, and its directors, agents, employees, or contractors make no warranty, expressed or implied, and assume no liability for the information contained in the succeeding text. Any mention of commercial products or processes shall not be construed as an endorsement of such products or processes and is not meant in any way as a description or validation of a ‘normal farm practice’. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................... ii Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................................................. ii Table of Tables ....................................................................................................................................................... v Table of Figures ..................................................................................................................................................... v Acronyms .............................................................................................................................................................. vi Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................... vii Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................. viii Scope .............................................................................................................................................................. viii Cannabis Cultivation and Extraction ................................................................................................................ viii Best Available Control Technologies (BACTs) for Cannabis .............................................................................. viii Jurisdictional Differences in Regulation, Compliance and Enforcement ............................................................ ix Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... x 1.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Oversight ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Scope and Limitations...................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Literature review ......................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Jurisdictional scan ........................................................................................................................................ 2 2.3 Subject Matter Expert (SME) Interviews ...................................................................................................... 3 3.0 Cannabis Production and Extraction................................................................................................................. 4 3.1 Overview of the Plant Lifecycle .................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Crop Requirements ..................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 pH and Nutrients ................................................................................................................................. 9 3.2.2 Water ................................................................................................................................................ 10 3.2.3 Pesticides .......................................................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Manufacturing and Extraction ................................................................................................................... 12 3.3.1 Solvent Extraction ............................................................................................................................. 12 3.3.2 Supercritical CO2 Extraction .............................................................................................................. 13 3.3.3 Extraction of Cannabis vs. Extraction of Essential Oils and Absolutes ............................................... 14 4.0 Air, Water, and Solid Waste Discharges.......................................................................................................... 14 4.1 Air Emissions ............................................................................................................................................. 14 4.1.1 Terpenes ........................................................................................................................................... 15 4.1.2 Ground Level Ozone .......................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.3 Measuring Air Emissions ................................................................................................................... 20 4.2 Liquid Waste Discharges ............................................................................................................................ 20 4.2.1 Indoor and Greenhouse Liquid Waste Discharges ............................................................................. 20 4.2.2 Outdoor Cultivation Liquid Waste Discharges ................................................................................... 22 4.2.3 Manufacturing and Extraction Liquid Waste Discharges ................................................................... 23 4.3 Solid Waste ............................................................................................................................................... 23 4.3.1 Estimating Solid Waste Production ................................................................................................... 24 5.0 Best Available Control Technologies ............................................................................................................... 25 5.1 Best Available Control Technologies for Air Emissions ............................................................................... 26 5.1.1 Carbon Filters .................................................................................................................................... 28 iii 5.1.2 BioFilters ........................................................................................................................................... 30 5.1.3 Ozone Generators ............................................................................................................................. 31 5.1.4 Odour Neutralizers ............................................................................................................................ 32 5.2 Best Available Control Technologies for Liquid Waste Management ......................................................... 33 5.2.1 Water Recapture and Reuse ............................................................................................................. 35 5.2.2 Land Application for Nutrient Solution .............................................................................................. 36 5.2.3 Small Scale Water Treatment Plant ................................................................................................... 38 5.2.4 Aerobic Digestion .............................................................................................................................. 39 5.3 Best Available Control Technologies for Solid Waste Disposal ................................................................... 40 5.3.1 Composting ....................................................................................................................................... 42 5.3.2 Incineration ....................................................................................................................................... 44 5.3.3 Dry Anaerobic Digestion (Fermentation) ........................................................................................... 45 5.4 The Future of Best Available Control Technologies ...................................................................................