Bharat Petroleum bags FICCI award for sustainability in the petrochemical sector

Company won award for ‘Petroleum Sludge Valorisation’ process under the category ‘Sustainability award for the best green process in the petrochemical sector’

by Suman Gupta 

Mumbai, March, 2021: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company bagged prestigious award from Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) under the category ‘Sustainability award for the best green process in the petrochemical sector’. The Company received award for ‘Petroleum Sludge Valorisation’, a novel concept of valorising tank bottom sludge and renewable biomass and generating a versatile solid fuel. Dr. Chiranjeevi Thota, Deputy General Manager (R&D) received the award on behalf of the Company, which was conferred by Mr. Mansukh Mandviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of State, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mr Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals and Deepak Mehta-Chairman, FICCI Chemical Committee and C&MD Deepak Nitrate Ltd.

The solid fuel ‘Petrolet’ that is formed after the process of combining two waste materials has numerous applications in low-cost conventional heating , steam generation etc. Another advantage of this process is that it is environmental-friendly as the mixture of the oily sludge and bio-mass is then used in firing the kilns thereby replacing the requirement of high-cost conventional fuel. Due to this process, several thousand tonnes of petroleum sludge generated in refineries is used in gasifiers as a feedstock, thereby reducing the wastage. The final product possesses calorific value that is at par with coal used for furnace applications. This fuel mixture can be used as such or can be co-fired with coal or liquid fuels to enhance its heat value.

The oil sludge generated by refineries is one of the major sources of environmental pollution and are categorised as hazardous waste by Environment Protection Act and Hazardous Wastes Handling Rules. Bharat Petroleum’s Corporate Research & Development Centre developed this concept to replace the earlier process of bio-remediated sludge that used to take 6-10 months and was very expensive. Through this new process, the Company’s R&D team has not only came up with quick and environmentally acceptable solution; but also made it cost effective compared to earlier process.

About BPCL:A Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with a significant presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the elite club of companies having greater operational & financial autonomy.

Bharat Petroleum’s Refineries at Mumbai and Kochi, subsidiaries, Numaligarh Refinery Limited at Assam and Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd., at Bina, Madhya Pradesh have a combined refining capacity of over 40 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes network of installations, depots, retail outlets, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises 18,000 Retail Outlets, 6,600 LPG distributorships, 733 Lubes distributorships, 123 POL storage locations, 52 LPG Bottling Plants, 58 Aviation Service Stations, 3 Lube blending plants and 4 cross-country pipelines.

With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing a vibrant ecosystem. Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting innumerable initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With ‘Energising Lives’ as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum’s vision is to be the most admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation & technology.