Kicking in: environmental commandments become cornerstones of an industry

The issue of waste management in the oil industry is an all-pervasive one since all facets of industry activity -drilling, production and even reclamation- generate oil field waste. The materials include produced sand from wells, process sludge, tank bottoms, oil spill cleanup material, and drilling and completion fluids. Wastes typically contain mixtures of oil, water and solids, commonly referred to in the industry as 'slop'. Getting rid of this waste has become big business since the mid-1980s, regulated by AEUB Guide 58, 'Oilfield Waste Management Requirements for the Upstream Petroleum Industry', which covers responsibilities of waste generators and receivers, license requirements, classification of materials as a dangerous oilfield waste (DOW) or non-DOW, tracking of waste and enforcement guidelines. This paper describes the waste treatment and disposal processes used by Canadian Crude Separators Inc. in Calgary as typical of companies that are involved in the burgeoning business of oilfield waste management. It also describes some of the more innovative aspects of the business such as recycling and reuse in cement and asphalt production and roadbed construction. The objective of AEUB's waste operations section and those involved in the waste treatment industry is to keep abreast of technology improvements and to improve waste management practices to become more environmentally responsible and friendly, and to minimize waste by reusing it to create environmentally friendly products