Officials from Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum visits Geocycle/LH - UAE
Advocating innovative waste management solution to Nigerian authorities
Summary:
Geocycle UAE was approached by Geocycle Nigeria to demonstrate to Nigerian Ministry of Petroleum the technology used in UAE in processing/recycling of oily sludge waste. The visit was conducted in July 2017 with a tour of the existing Reconeft platform that is pre-treating sludge and also within Lafarge Emirates Cement (LEC) premises to show the co-processing part that transforms this waste into engineered recoverable resource for the Cement Kiln.
Roll-out of the visit:
After providing an overview of the oil sludge local market conditions and a brief explanation of the different facilities involved in the process of waste recycling, the first day started with an explanation of the main treatment platform known as Reconeft, located adjacent to LEC. The oil sludge is collected and transported from different sources around the country and is then prepared in this platform by mixing liquid, pasty and dry sludge into different pits. The homogeneous output material is screened before being tested for meeting the required quality for the kiln specification.
Part of the visit was conducted in the Reconeft laboratory where sampling is done on daily basis to insure proper flow of material and avoid variations in the mix. During the visit, many questions were raised to better understand issues such as point of collection, means of transportation, regular quality checks, storage capacity, authorities permitting, operational issues and how to solve them.
The second day, the visitors were taken to the co-processing part in LEC premises and a more detailed explanation was given to show how alternative fuel is mixed with traditional fuel.
Supervisor and kiln coach were able to answer the many questions raised and a full access to the facilities (quality lab, Central Control Room, Environment department) was given to all visitors in total transparency.
As part of the key topics raised, the Environmental impact of such waste was one of the concerns. Our Environment manager and his team were thus able to show how the high temperatures in the kiln are able to eliminate residue and harmful chemicals from the sludge and reduce emissions in line with local environmental regulations. Close monitoring of the combustion inside the kiln was demonstrated in the Central Control Room.
At the end of the visit, Nigerian authorities were pleased with the high standards of Health and Safety Environment (HSE) and Operations. The zero waste solution which we showcased seemed to convince them that Geocycle is able to provide similar service level and performance in Nigeria, especially looking at the advantages for both Energy and Environmental impacts. The Geocycle Nigeria team was very thankful for the well prepared and well conducted visit and is now in the process of finalizing discussions with the Petroleum Ministry representatives.
Riad BESTANI | General Manager
GEOCYCLE-ECOCEM- Dubai Airport Free Zone-DAFZA-Regus Offices-3 East Wing-4th floor
POBox 124130, Dubai, UAE
Mobile (+971)(0)525263 297
Dubai Office (+971)(0)42149590
Fujairah Plant (+971)(0)72044777- ext 454
riad.bestani@holcim.com / riad.bestani@geocycle.com
www.holcim.com
GEOCYCLE-ECOCEM - a 100% Subsidiary of Holcim in Waste Management