Thermal Desorption (TDU)
Thermal desorption is a technology used to treat waste contaminated by hydrocarbons, such as drill cuttings contaminated with oil-based mud, sludge, and other oily waste.
Drilling waste can contain up to 50% of oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other polluting elements. This waste is toxic and flammable, and can cause irreparable damage to the environment and human health.
TDU - Thermal Desorption Unit through indirect heating reduces the volume of treated waste; the products derived from this process – i.e., Base Oil, Recovered Water, and Solid Waste – in addition to no longer presenting an environmental risk, can still be valued.
- For every 100 tons of cuttings processed through TDU, approximately 10 to 15m³ of base oil is recovered.
- After quality control based on Angolan legislation, the recovered water receives physical and chemical treatment, and is subsequently reused in the AES industrial process.
- The solid waste, which after treatment contains less than 0.1% of oil, is deposited in one of AES's hazardous waste landfills.
- TDU has the capacity to treat 50 tons of waste per day.
- AES has 9 TDUs – 5 in Luanda and 4 in Soyo.
Technology Benefits
- Full Base Oil recovery
- Reduction of environmental contamination
- Safe treatment of oily waste
- Support for environmental compliance of operations
Industries Served
- Oil and Gas (E&P)
- Energy and Water
- Mining
- Maritime and Air Transport
Optimize your waste management
Talk to our engineers and discover how our technology can reduce environmental impact.
Contact Specialist