Non recoverable oil

Bioremediation Treatment
Cost benefit analysis showed that it was not economically viable to recover oil from soil that contained less than 15% spilled oil. For this category of oil waste, biological cleanup methods (bioremediation) were deemed appropriate as the required summer temperatures and soil pH conditions were met at the UMG field and oil contamination more than 0.3m in depth was not recorded. Also, the method is labor intensive and as UMG has an abundance of inexpensive labor, the method would conform to the company’s capabilities. The team accordingly conducted pilot studies and determined that depending on the volume and location of the waste, land farming (treating in place) or composting (transporting to compost heap sites) methods would be employed.

Bioremediation involves the addition of cultured native strains of hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria to contaminated soil that has been mixed with fertilizer of the appropriate composition and straw. The fertilizer provides protein and regeneration capacity to the biological agents while the straw promotes aeration. The major direct cost is purchasing and transporting the fertilizer. The contaminated soil was aerated by tilling (land farming) or by using an aerator on the composted heap sites. The frequency of aeration as well as the addition of water (provided by the local fire brigade) was determined by measuring the bacterial respiration rate using hand-held, field operated, CO2 meter in conjunction with soil daily temperatures.

The pilot treatment cost were $1.79 and $2.06 USD per m2 for land farming and composting respectively with fertilizer being the major expense. Initial cleanup goals of 1 – 3% petroleum hydrocarbons remaining in the soil over 3 – 4 month treatment period have been met. Based on these data, a 5-year cleanup period for the entire field is projected.

Asphalt Production
Poor road conditions cause more accidents.This is partially due to overtaking on the narrow asphalt covered roads and numerous potholes that drivers swerve to avoid. UMG currently produces asphalt but the process involves importing bitumen from Russia and this increases production costs considerable to about 40.00 USD/ton. The cost in turn affects the quantity of asphalt produced.

Given this, The Team, in conjunction with a local institution, is currently conducting pilot studies designed to produce adequate quality asphalt from oil sludge and local material. The estimated cost of this procedure is 20-25 USD/ton. Accordingly, it is expected that this innovative technology will promote more active road repair and asphalt coverage of selected dirt roads. In additional to hopefully reducing accidents, the method should encourage the constructive use of oil sludge and limit the destruction of vegetation and animal habit by confining, to the extent possible, vehicle traffic to specific asphalt-define roadways rather than the utilization of the current cross-country approach to access wells and facilities.

Road material
Low-lying areas of UMG especially require roads that are elevated. For implementation of further efforts to utilize unwanted oil sludge, the Team investigated a methodology for the construction of roads that involved using the oil sludge. Based on the principal of oil and soil dilution, local authorities will allow up to 7% of road material to be composed of contaminated soil. Waste oil is also viewed as binding material. The Team has had plausible results with the process but further test are required.

Natural Remediation
Older and smaller oil spills that, due to natural deterioration, form a thin crust on the ground surface do not poise a hazard to the environment. However, it is necessary to promote deterioration by tilling.This allows opportunity for flora and fauna to establish itself. In terms of the total amount of oil field waste present, this approach is deemed at present the most economically viable way at of dealing with this remnant of former oil field practices.

ОХРАНА И ВОССТАНОВЛЕНИЕ ОКРУЖАЮЩЕЙ СРЕДЫ НА УЗЕНЕ

МОЖЕТ ЛИ ВОССТАГОВЛЕНИЕ ОКРУЖАЮЩЕЙ СРЕДЫ ОКУПИТЬ СЕБЯ?
Для восстановления окружающей среды Всемирный Банк предоставил «Узеньмунайгазу» заем в $3,3 млн. С 1999 по настоящее время основные задачи в области охраны окружающей среды решаются в пределах выделенного Блока 3А компанией Ecology and Environment, Inc., основанной в США и работающей с местными субподрядчиками, включая E&E, Казахстан и CaspiEcology. Этими задачами являются:

• проведение экологического аудита;
• проведение пилотных исследований по очистке и разработка наилучшей стратегии утилизации нефти;
• установка современной экологической лаборатории;
• разработка плана реагирования на аварийные ситуации, охраны здоровья и техники безопасности с перечнем соответствующего оборудования; и
• определение эффективных методик восстановления растительного покрова.

В советские времена месторождение Узень подвергалось сильной экологической нагрузке. Основным стремлением была добыча нефти. Поэтому проектная группа E&E столкнулась со значительными проблемами. Основной целью являлось не только восстановление окружающей среды, но и определение экономически выгодных условий выполнения приложенных усилий. Другими словами, было необходимо сделать так, чтобы восстановление смогло окупить себя, чтобы УМГ могло доказать беспрецедентность и осознанную необходимость экологических займов для экологических исследований. Используя такой подход, группа выяснила, что сегодняшние потребности УМГ могут быть достигнуты без сопоставления текущего и будущего качества окружающей среды. Несмотря на это, аспекты устойчивого развития должны быть осуществлены.

До настоящего времени группа была сконцентрирована на двух главных задачах: 1) очистка нефтепромысла, включающая в себя сбор и продажу восстановленной нефти и 2) строительство прибыльной экологической лаборатории, которая могла бы быть использована УМГ и другими добывающими компаниями в Каспийском регионе.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26