/EIN News/ In an exclusive interview for the Middle East Waste Summit 2009, Daniel M. Cheng, Managing Director, Dunwell Enviro-Tech (Holdings) Ltd talks about Industrial & Hazardous Waste Management. Mr Cheng will be speaking in Dubai on May 27th, 2009.
MEWS: What are your main projects internationally?
DMC: We have been proactively seeking partners around the world to establish a low temperature (85 deg C), low pressure (50 psi) used lubricant recycling operation using our proprietary advanced vibrating membrane technology – VMAT.
We have already setup this oil recycling venture in Hong Kong, China (Beijing and Shenzhen), Mongolia, Indonesia (Jakarta). More will be installed in Australia, Romania, South Africa, China (Shanghai) in the next 9 to 12 months.
VMAT recycles used lubricants such as engine oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil, etc. into green lubricants again. Unlike other processes that recycle used lubricants into fuel oil, or creates a lot of secondary pollution (acid sludge), VMAT has become a popular option being enquired from international recyclers and even governments.
MEWS: What are the best technologies for waste oil recycling? What processes are currently being implemented in the Middle East and are they adequate?
DMC: We have to define “the BEST”. There are many different options of technologies ranging from the mega scale investment hydro-finishing, to the cheapest but very polluting acid clay treatment process used in the industry. Before selecting any of the process, we have to understand the local government environmental standards, availability of local technical expertise, the market expectation on recycled oil products, market sizes, number of recyclers, etc. The best technology really implies if one could adopt an internationally proven, economic feasible, energy efficient technology for the Middle East Market.
In Middle East, there has been acid clay process being adopted for years. Due to the highly polluted nature of the process, most of the governments around the world have restricted this application after they have found the acid sludge have polluted the underground water and soil severely. This is going to be an outgoing technology.
Some recyclers are using simple dewatering and centrifuge techniques to produce fuel oil, which is of low value to the Middle East market that has abundant supply of fuel products.
Some recyclers may be using high temperature distillation process, but this process is too energy consuming and requires extensive engineering support.
The Middle East market is steering towards the directions of adopting a clean (non polluting) technology that can recycle used oil into finish lube products, with a low energy level and reasonable level of engineering requirement. Our VMAT fits into this context with a fast payback (less than 2 years) scenario.
MEWS: When does Dunwell Enviro-Tech work with the oil and gas industry?
DMC: Dunwell has been involved in the oil recycling business since 1993, when we acquired and turned around a bankrupted Australian oil re-refinery operation (with a loss of US$ 10 million) in Hong Kong. For the last 16 years, we have been building our engineering capability and investing in R&D for coming up a better process for the used oil recycling industry.
We also work with oil fields in China to provide advanced technology for process improvement and water treatment.
MEWS: How can Dunwell Enviro-Tech positively impact the industrial and hazardous waste concerns of all stakeholders including citizens, industry and governments? How can Dunwell Enviro-Tech help reduce pollution in the UAE?
DMC: Most governments nowadays are seeking ways to minimize the impact of oil related pollution in the areas of air, water, soil and CO2 emission. VMAT is recycling the used oil into reusable green lube products instead of heavy fuel which will emit much CO2 and contributes to the global warming.
The low temperature (85C) process does not crack the hydro-carbon structure of used oil and would not cause air pollution problems. The absence of chemical (acids) used would not cause further damage to the water and soil.
VMAT is a modular expandable process to allow users to start with a smaller volume (5000 m3/year) and expand to 20,000 m3/year when they are familiar with the new business models and technology. Users can even setup the VMAT systems in various locations across the country, to minimize the transportation and enhance flexible operation.
To all the relevant stakeholders, VMAT is a really environmentally friendly option for waste treatment and resource recovery.
MEWS: How does the market in the Middle East compare internationally for investing in waste oil recycling?
DMC: Since VMAT received the IChemE Grand Environment Award from London in 2006, we have been approached by almost 100 Middle East companies and even government appointed consultants regarding the feasibility of this project.
Now with a total of 4 international awards received by VMAT, and actual installations around different continents, even more oil recyclers have seriously visited our industrial operations and are negotiating potential partnership for setting up VMAT in GCC countries.
GCC is a big market and we are open to work with industry players and welcome referral agents to help us expand in this promising oil recycling venture.
For further information on VMAT, please visit www.dunwellgroup.com/vmat/en or email to vmat@dunwellgroup.com
