University of West of Scotland
Reducing waste products from the oil and gas industry
The University of the West of Scotland's Environmental Initiatives Research Group is helping Aberdeen based Total Waste Management Alliance Ltd (TWMA) to explore the recycling of waste material generated by offshore oil and gas production. The collaboration was formed through Interface, an SFC-funded service matching businesses with academics for knowledge exchange.
Cleaning up and disposing of waste produced as a result of well drilling is a huge burden on the offshore oil and gas industry. Through the collaborative project, University of West of Scotland and TWMA are exploring options for reuse of materials, in particular rock flour and oil wastes, which are currently disposed of through conventional routes (land fill of rock and reprocessing of oils). The ultimate aim is to evaluate alternative routes for reuse of wastes and reduce the need for conventional disposal.
The project will focus on the characteristics of the rock flour waste stream and how this might influence the selection of alternative routes for reuse. These might include incorporation as an inert additive in cement or plastic based systems. To assess the potential of this approach, a pilot project is required to provide key data on availability of materials, variation in basic properties and assess the consequence for alternative reuse. The approach identified through this project will be generic and applicable to a number of other waste streams both within the company's current operations and within related industrial sectors.