5 benefits of using Envorem’s Cutting-edge oil remediation technology
At Envorem, we have developed a green technology that is fast, inexpensive, and effective. Using very little energy and a green process, we can help oil producers recycle their oily materials, clean the sediments, and recover oil and water for recycling. With throughputs of up to 100m3 per hour, the industry finally has a way to process these materials with sufficient scale to rapidly and economically clear legacy deposits. The great news is that the cost should be less than current processes and, the value of the recovered materials provides a further offset. It’s a true win-win for the oil producers and the environment.
Remediation of highly contaminated production byproducts today mainly takes the form of incineration or thermal desorption. Some companies try centrifuges but these struggle with heavy oils and do little other than recover some of the free oil leaving behind a residue that is still contaminated and hazardous. However, our water-based cleaning solution has the least environmental impact by far. It is also surprisingly cost-effective, provides for maximum hydrocarbon recovery, and is suitable for both soil and sludges.
Technology Comparison
Method |
Energy Impact |
Emissions Impact |
Price/tonne |
Hydrocarbon Recovery |
Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bioremediation | Medium/High | Medium/High (Methane) | $80 | None | Only works with lightly contaminated soils, not sludge t1 |
| Incineration | Medium/High | Very High | $135 - $350 | 0% | Unsuitable for watery sludge |
| Thermal Desorbtion | Very High | High | $200 - $400 | 50-80% (light oils only) |
Unsuitable for watery sludge Unsuitable for heavy oils |
| Envorem Technology | Very Low | Very Low | <$100 t2 | Over 99% | None, other than oil recovery from drilling mud |
t1: Oil above 5% concentration kills the bioremediation microbes
t2: Operating at rates >25 tonnes per hour
The Envorem Sludge remediation system
Our challenge as a business was to produce a technology that offers both a viable and environmental incentive to change current disposal practices. The result was our innovative greentech system which treats oily sludge exploiting an obscure property of water.
This inexpensive, and compact and mobile system, can also be used at oil processing/gathering stations halting the creation of sludge directly at source. The system is also mobile and ideal for treating legacy disposal pits.
Our oil remediation system has five immediate benefits.
1. Environmental:
a. No emissions are generated and no chemicals are used in the treatment process;
b. the process uses only 5% of the energy required for incineration or desorption;
c. the technology will reduce waste volume by 80-90%; and
d. the residual sediments are usually clean enough for non-hazardous landfill.
2. Financial: the technology is substantially less expensive than current treatment technologies such as thermal, or chemical methods and, if the sludge is treated at source, the cost, risk and emissions from transportation are also reduced.
3. Accessible: Envorem does not seek any capital for implementation, simply a processing fee per tonne of feedstock, hence savings can be immediate.
4. Cost positive: The process recovers 99% of the entrained oil in the sludge, (typically 40-60% of sludge volume) for return as wet crude, which for most sludges, will more than offset Envorem’s processing fees and, will result in increased production efficiency with ‘green oil’ of almost zero carbon footprint.
5. Responsible: The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are an increasing focus for today’s boardrooms. Envorem’s technology contributes to Goals 12,13,14 and 15.
In summary, Envorem has met the challenge of incentivising a change in practice by developing an oil remediation technology that reduces operating costs whilst improving environmental performance and production efficiency. Everybody wins, especially the environment.
