French company Ecoslops has developed pioneering technology to recycle marine hydrocarbon waste (slops) into marine fuel.
This innovative way of producing fuels is particularly vital for the industry as it facilitates the creation of sustainable marine fuel products from residues that would otherwise be waste. It solves the problem of waste collectors experiencing difficulty when trying to sell unprocessed slops, also the issue of the storage of slops or infrastructure for them is removed.
Therefore, taking the waste product, for which the disposal is strictly regulated, and turning it into a reusable marine fuel provides a highly cost-effective, efficient and sustainable solution for ship owners.
The recycling process involves the collection of slops from waste collectors and ports, as well as directly from ship owners and operators. The slops are then pre-treated by decantation and centrifugation before being processed into a vacuum distillation column and the hydrocarbons are recycled into marine fuels and light bitumen. The resulting water is decontaminated in a treatment plant before being returned to the environment.
The success of the Ecoslop technology has led to the industrial production of the recycled fuel in the Port of Sinès, Portugal, a facility that has the capacity to produce 30,000 metric tons of recycled fuel every year. They have also subsequently delivered the first volume of marine fuel products compliant with ISO8217. According to Ecoslops, 3,200 of slops were imported from Northern Europe and subsequently 1,400 tonnes of fuel products were produced for the marine market in Q3 2015.
The company’s ambition is to bring on line three more production facilities by 2017.
