The world is embarking on a massive revolution to transform petroleum into final products that people need in their daily lives instead of burning it as fuel for cars.

Plastic is one of the popular petroleum industries that is growing at lightning speed. The only obstacle to its growth is plastic waste, which threatens the existence of wildlife in the oceans. Therefore, recycling  plastic and finding a technology to get rid of its waste (by making it biodegradable) are necessary to solve the waste problem. Then the giant genie (plastic) will emerge from its bottle and enter as a material in the manufacture of various final products, invading the markets, streets, and homes of consumers all over the globe.

Petroleum companies are now trying to develop the plastic recycling process by partnering with industries related to its composition.

The motivation for the rush to use plastic is the advantages it has over all competing materials (such as iron, glass, and paper) in their uses (such as its light weight, small size, ease of formation, adaptation to climate and spatial changes, preservation of safety, and lack of waste of preserved things). These are just some. The advantages related to packaging, but its industrial uses are endless, as it is included in the formulations of everything, we see around us or use in our daily lives.

Estimates say that recycling plastic waste in the world leads to energy savings equivalent to 3.5 billion barrels of oil per year. This leads us to the question: Does recycling reduce the demand for oil?

Petroleum products, such as plastics, are recycled through a process called pyrolysis. In this process, materials are heated at a high temperature in the absence of oxygen, breaking down complex hydrocarbon chains into simpler molecules. These simpler molecules can then be rearranged and reprocessed into new materials, reducing the need for new raw materials and reducing waste.

On average, each ton of recycled plastic saves 130 million kilojoules (123 million Btu), which is equal to the energy released by consuming 22 barrels of oil. Recycled polymer material is less expensive than new material, with financial savings resulting from energy savings, which usually range between 40-90% depending on the type of polymer.

Plastic prices reflect an annual average of weekly price data and their correlation with oil prices. Polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene.

One of the most prominent products that can be recycled is used motor oil. The oil used in car engines contains dangerous substances that pollute the environment. Therefore, it must not be thrown away or disposed of randomly, and since this oil has changed its specifications, it cannot be reused again unless it is recycled. Recycled motor oil can be combusted as fuel, usually in plant boilers, space heaters, or industrial heating applications such as blast furnaces and cement kilns. When used motor oil is burned as fuel it must be burned at high temperatures to avoid gaseous pollution. Alternatively, waste motor oil can be distilled into diesel fuel or marine fuel in a process similar to oil re-refining, but without the final hydrotreating process.

The process of recycling used oil takes place in three steps: It is filtration using a Buchener funnel, then extracting the oil using a mixture of (toluene and methanol) as an organic solvent, followed by an adsorption process – using aluminum oxide -, and this oil is called recovered oil.

Metal recycling: Metals used in the oil and gas industry are collected and converted into other materials such as steel and aluminum. High value metals that can be recycled over and over again without deteriorating their properties. Scrap metals also have a value that attracts people to collect them for sale and recycling. In addition to the great financial incentive, there is also an urgent environmental necessity.

We can recycle metals by conserving natural resources as they require less processing energy to manufacture new products using raw materials. Metals can be classified into ferrous and non-ferrous. Ferrous metals are a mixture of iron and carbon, and some common ferrous metals include carbon, steel and alloys, wrought iron, and cast iron. On the other hand, non-ferrous metals include aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and tin. Non-ferrous precious metals include gold, platinum, silver, iridium, and platinum.

Industrial wastewater used in the oil and gas industry is collected and treated for reuse in production processes. Using nanotechnology to filter this produced water, a specific type of nanoparticles with the ability to be attracted to magnets was used, and when these particles are added to water contaminated with oil, the nanoparticles stick to the oil droplets present in the water, and this makes separating the oil droplets possible using only magnets.

Special technologies are used to reuse the energy used in production processes.

Improving energy efficiency:

Improving the management of electrical and thermal loads.

Improving operational performance with minimal energy consumption.

Eliminate waste and recycling.

Flame gas recovery:

Egypt joined the initiative to stop routine burning in 2017.

Exploiting these gases in operation as an alternative to diesel.

Recycling and refining petroleum products for new use is essential to conserve natural resources and reduce the use of crude oil. Refining can have many environmental and economic benefits, including: –

Reducing dependence on crude oil extracted from the ground, which reduces pressure on the environment and reduces costs.

Reducing the volume of solid waste produced, which reduces environmental pollution and the need for a place to store this waste.

Any number of recycled petroleum products can be reused in many applications, improving sustainability and reducing high consumption.

Reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, which limits the effects of global warming change.

Recycled refining products can be used as alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and improving the green economy.

Overall, from a legal point of view, policies that encourage recycling petroleum products has positive environmental and economic impacts that cannot be ignored, promoting sustainability and improving quality of life in the long term.

Eng. Mohamed Abdelraouf

Southern Area Gen Mgr

Khalda Petroleum co