The company has announced the completion of a significant decommissioning project at a Scottish oil terminal for a multinational energy company. OSSO worked in partnership with another contractor to mitigate the need for 4340 m3 of crude oil sludge to be tankered to incineration, achieve a cost saving exceeding seven figures and recover 1280 m3 of usable oil.
The project centred on the full decommissioning of an oil tank at the terminal, necessitating the complete removal of all hydrocarbons. OSSO’s separation capabilities allowed water to be introduced to the tank, enabling efficient pumping and significantly expediting the process by eliminating the need for manual waste removal. By adding water without separation capabilities, extensive wastewater and sludge disposal requirements would have arisen from contaminating significant volumes of water with oil and naturally occurring radioactive materials.
After initial pumping, OSSO leveraged its decanter centrifuge and disc stack centrifuge technologies, to treat and separate over 4540 m3 of waste sludge, including naturally occurring radioactive materials, into water, solids, and recoverable oil. This allowed for the disposal of over 3060 m3 of water through an on-site effluent treatment plant, thereby saving an estimated seven-figure sum in disposal costs and securing significant carbon reductions from transporting the waste.
Additionally, it facilitated the recovery of approximately 1280 m3 of oil, valued at around £450 000. Consequently, the total savings and value recovered from the project are estimated to be in the millions, with only 200 t of waste ultimately requiring off-site disposal at an estimated cost of £120 000.
Rory MacKenzie, Business Development Lead at OSSO commented, “We have demonstrated the exceptional value our specialised separation technology can provide for decommissioning projects. We’ve not only saved a substantial amount in disposal costs, but also significantly cut down on carbon emissions associated with waste transport. The recovery of a large volume of oil and the reduction of landfill waste exemplifies our commitment to delivering solutions that are both financially and operationally prudent, while minimising carbon intensity.”
