14 - 20 December 2000
Issue No.512
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 14 - 20 December 2000 Issue No.512 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
New oil for old
One impressive example of how energy-efficient policies can be put into practice is the waste oil recycling facility located on the site of the Alexandria Petroleum Company for the last four years. The initiative was undertaken by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) after conducting a feasibility study. Recycling oil saves energy and money as well as makes use of a waste product that can pose a hazard to public health.
EGPC's study revealed that approximately 300,000 tons of engine oil lubricants are used locally each year for automotive and industrial purposes. "To think that such huge amounts might be disposed of in an unsafe manner is extremely alarming," said Medhat Youssef, deputy chairman of EGPC.
EGPC estimated that the actual amount of waste oil that could be collected annually is 150,000 tons. "Recycling this quantity of waste oil should produce approximately 120,000 tons," said Youssef. He added that instead of building a facility to produce engine oils, an endeavour necessitating massive investment, it is more economical to build a facility for the recycling of waste oil.
Thus the facility for waste oil, which was built at a cost of LE185 million, is a project in which its management takes considerable pride.
A key step in the planning of this endeavour was the selection of appropriate technology, explained Chairman of Alexandria Petroleum Company Sayed Ahmed El-Kharashi. "It was important to choose technology that has been successfully applied at similar facilities in other parts of the world. Ultimately we decided on technology designed by a Dutch company because it was the cleanest -- that is the one producing the least waste during the recycling process," he said.
However, selection of effective technology is only one factor in the success of such a project. Although the feasibility study suggested the project made environmental and financial sense, it has yet to realise profits. Explaining these results, El-Kharashi said, "The plant produces around 22,000 tons of recycled oil every year, even though it can produce much more."
The glitch has been in the collection of waste oil. As part of the feasibility study, oil marketing companies were canvassed to find out how much waste oil each would be able to contribute. Many were ready to volunteer their tank trucks, which collect waste oil from filling stations, to transport the substance to the Alexandria Petroleum Company. However the facility has received far less than its capacity.
Such a situation is frustrating for the EGPC, not to mention environmentalists, given that the majority of waste oil produced in Egypt continues to be disposed of in ways that are hazardous to public health. Many factories and transport companies dump waste oil into the sewage system, a practice that has the potential to destroy the whole network. Waste oil is also sold illegally as a new product after adding chemicals to it, sometimes to bakeries in poor neighbourhoods which use it as an energy source.
In an attempt to encourage customers not to dispose of waste oil in a fashion that would damage the environment, oil marketing companies now buy the liquid at LE185 per ton. ExxonMobil, for example, collects some 150 tons of waste oil from its customers every month.
Towards protecting the public from the impact of this substance, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) has taken a number of measures. At the top of these was its assistance in promulgating environment law No 4, issued in 1994, under which waste oil is classified as hazardous waste. Currently, the EEAA and the Ministry of Petroleum are preparing a list of hazardous wastes resulting from the activities of the petroleum industry. "Once this list is completed, oil marketing companies will not be granted a license to operate unless they present a sound strategy for the safe disposal of waste oil," said Ibrahim Abdel-Gelil, executive director of the EEAA. To support the EEAA's goals, EGPC has made it mandatory for filling stations to have a collection tank for waste oil.
And for its part, the EGPC is trying to direct more waste oil to the recycling facility in Alexandria. "We expect to sign an agreement with the major bus transit companies in Greater Cairo, which are the biggest consumers of engine oils. Their waste oil will be collected and they will be provided with the necessary facilities to transport it to the plant in Alexandria," said EGPC's Medhat Youssef.
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