27-11-2019

Omsk refinery completes first-phase construction of its “Biosphere” water treatment facility

Installation of tanking equipment has now been completed at the Gazprom Neft’s Omsk Refinery’s innovative “Biosphere” water treatment facility. The reservoir block at the future complex will facilitate the preliminary mixing of all of the plant’s production wastewater prior to it being sent for further treatment, with the Biosphere complex delivering almost complete “closed-cycle” water usage, reducing the burden on the city’s wastewater facilities and increasing efficiency in wastewater treatment to 99.9 percent. The construction of the Biosphere forms part of the ongoing full-scale modernisation of the Omsk Refinery, and is a major element in initiatives under the Federal “Clean Air” project. The new water-treatment system is one of Gazprom Neft’s most important environmental projects in the Omsk Region, investment in which currently stands at RUB19 billion. Construction of the Biosphere is expected to be complete by 2021.

The Biosphere facility has been designed as a multi-stage water treatment complex. The Biosphere’s reservoir block comprises 12 100–20,000 cubic-metre-capacity tanks, produced by domestic Russian manufactures to international standards. Following mixing in the reservoir block, the water is sent for mechanical cleaning, during which oil products and other impurities are removed. Thereafter, during physical—chemical cleaning, the water is purified by chemical reagents and sent to a special bio-reactor, where any remnants of oil products are absorbed by microorganisms. In the final stage water is passed through carbon filters, disinfected with ultraviolet light, and returned to the production cycle. Filtered oil products are then sent for processing and recycling.

“The unique Biosphere water treatment complex comprehensively addresses the issues of reducing the environmental impacts of production. Safe and rational water usage is an important factor for any industrial enterprise. In introducing new-generation, environmentally friendly technologies we are conserving resources as well as achieving significant economic benefits.” Oleg Belyavsky - General Director of the Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery.