No. 2
AUTUMN / WINTER 2008
Interview
Sébastien Corbeil,
Development
Director of Ondeo
IS UK
p. 2
Market
Water management for
the booming
petrochemical
industry
Industrial
solutions
UCM®, an
in-depth surface
water solution
Shared
perspective
A partnership
for crisis
management
p. 4
p. 8
p. 3
ONDEO IS
Solutions, professional
expertise, our commitment to the environment
DOSSIER
EDITORIAL
A major point
in time
In the framework of
the GDF SUEZ merger
a new chapter unfolds
in the history of our
Group. On 22nd July
this year, our parent
company SUEZ
ENVIRONNEMENT
began trading on
the stock exchange,
giving our
environmental
business increased
visibility and direct
access to the financial
markets, enabling us
to continue with our
development strategy
while retaining our
organisational links
with GDF SUEZ.
At this time Ondeo IS
launched its new
visual identity with
the goal of improving
customer awareness
and promoting our
key values which are
partnership, added
value, innovation,
safety and proximity.
These changes
strengthen our mission
which is to deliver to
our customers quality
and professionalism
in the context of long
term partnerships
for water management
and treatment in
their industry.
Charles Chaumin
Chief Executive Officer
FEATURE
WATER AND BLACK GOLD
ARE GOOD TOGETHER
TRENDS A major consumer of water, especially for the exploitation of new deposits, the oil industry also
generates substantial discharges. Ondeo IS, therefore, supports the oil companies throughout the water cycle,
helping them to comply with increasingly demanding environmental standards.
With the entire world
debating over the
fluctuations in crude oil
prices, the media regularly
throw another idea into
the melting pot:
is the black gold close to
its end? Scientists refute
this. For when people talk
about reserves equivalent
to forty years consumption,
they really mean "proven"
reserves, in other words
reserves that can definitely
be extracted today.
But other resources could
be mobilised in the future,
from unconventional oils
such as the asphaltic sands
and ultraheavy oils in
Canada and Venezuela,
or deposits yet to be
discovered. Oil production,
therefore, continues to
increase strongly every
year to meet a demand
that remains steady
despite rising prices
(+9.8% in 2007 over 2006).
Production reached 85.8
million barrels a day in
2007 and should reach
87.8 Mb/d in 2008*. It has
to be said that the rapid
growth of major emerging
countries like India and
China is a contributing
factor. China alone
consumed 7.5 Mb/d*
in 2007. And there are
no major substitution
solutions planned for the
next two decades...
SPECIFIC NEEDS
In practical terms, the oil
sector is broken down
into three autonomous
segments: upstream, oil
production; downstream,
refining and petrochemicals.
Each segment has its
own water requirements.
Water is thus used in
oil production by being
injected into the wells
to help recover the crude
product. “This segment
is booming”, underlines
François Decoopman,
Director of the Oil &
Petrochem Unit, the
Ondeo IS unit dealing
specifically with the
sector’s needs. “This
industry is investing
heavily in research to
exploit new oil fields.”
>>>
FEATURE/CONT’ED…
>>>
2
Major oil reserves exist
in the world but are often
dependent on very high
extraction costs.
The Alberta oil shales
speak volumes. The cost
of extracting a barrel in this
Canadian province is $40,
against $3 in Saudi Arabia.
Water requirements in the
refining and petrochemical
segments, firstly, cover
supplying boilers and
cooling circuits as well
as certain oil processes
such as desalters,
distillation or crackers.
ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES
In short, the oil industry
is a major water consumer
and generates important
discharges. Opportunities
abound for companies
treating water throughout
its cycle, from production
to discharge. "Ondeo IS
operates throughout
the water cycle;
its customers include
major oil companies
and oil engineering
businesses", states
François Decoopman.
The group has had an
Oil & Petrochem unit
dealing specifically with
the needs of this industry
since 2002. “Its purpose is
to respond to the specific
requirements of the oilproducing world in terms
of engineering, procedures,
staff competence, quality
and safety”, lists François
Decoopman. “The
companies are extremely
demanding and the
required engineering
levels are very high.”
INTERVIEW
Not to mention the
increasing environmental
pressure.
“Thirty years ago, no one
was bothered by the state
of the groundwater
or the air”, acknowledges
François Decoopman.
“Today’s industries are
aware of environmental
issues, their practices and
looking after their image.”
A SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
APPROACH
The water used in crude
oil production is often
re-injected into the oilbearing formation. One
method of avoiding effluent
emissions. “Ondeo IS has
all the necessary
technology for treating
“
Meeting
the specific
requirements
of the
oil-producing
world in terms
of engineering,
procedures,
staff
competence,
quality and
safety.
”
injection water and
produced water, including
membrane techniques",
explains François
Decoopman. The group is
building purification plants
equipped with specific
technologies (oil separators
and biological treatment)
to treat effluent from the
refining and petrochemical
sectors. The specific role
of the Ondeo IS Oil &
Petrochem unit, in order
to respond to these
specific requirements,
is to constantly incorporate
first-class water treatment
techniques with highlyconstraining production
procedures.
« A MAJOR
CHALLENGE »
STATE-OF-THE-ART
SOLUTIONS
In Italy, for example, Ondeo
IS has found a way of
offering the Taranto and
Gela refineries in the ENI
group solutions using
various ultrafiltration
applications. “Both these
plants have state-of-the-art
technology and comply
with legislation governing
water treatment in polluted
water tables”, notes Valerio
Brenna, Technical Director
of Ondeo IS in Milan.
“In addition, it has become
necessary to re-use
recycled wastewater
given that the dry climate
in southern Italy and
the need for drinking
water and water for
agriculture have reduced
the amount of water
available to industry.” ■
* Source: Energy and Mineral
Resources Directorate (DIREM),
Ministry of Economy, Finance
and Industry.
Sébastien Corbeil,
Development Director of Ondeo IS UK.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT
SITUATION IN THE
PETROCHEMICAL
INDUSTRY?
The main challenges faced
by the sector nowadays
relate to the introduction
of the IPPC (Integrated
Pollution Prevention and
Control) directive.
Petrochemical sites in the
United Kingdom have until
2012 to submit and apply
their action plans. Many of
them will have to upgrade
their water treatment
facilities to comply with
the new regulations.
WHAT ARE THE
SPECIFIC NEEDS
OF THIS INDUSTRY?
Effluents from
petrochemical sites
normally contain a great
deal of oil. An initial,
physical treatment stage
is, therefore, necessary
to remove this oil and
discharge water containing
the biodegradable
chemical oxygen demand
(COD). Another peculiarity
of these effluents is that
their concentrations can
vary from one to ten in
the space of one hour.
This is a sizeable challenge
for a biological treatment
system.
HOW DO YOU COPE
WITH THESE SPECIAL
REQUIREMENTS?
Ondeo IS has developed
Onset (Ondeo Specialised
Effluent Tracker System),
a tool which helps manage
effluents especially during
incidents. It is an
interactive Internet site
where the customer can
access data relating
to their facility. The tool
is fundamentally
a database in which
can be found wastewater
evacuation network plans,
with the position of
strategic points for
sampling purposes.
The standard effluents
from each process zone
are thus listed along with
potential pollution
incidents. The database
can then be used very
quickly to find the source
of an abnormal emission.
On one of our worksites
we have used the system
to reduce the number of
incidents from an average
two per week to less than
one per month. ■
MARKET
INDICATORS
WATER MANAGEMENT FOR THE PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY
A FOLLOW-ON
BOOM
THE EXPANSION OF THE
PETROCHEMICAL SECTOR
INCREASES THE NEED
FOR WATER AND
EFFLUENT TREATMENT.
JEAN-LUC OHANESSIAN,
WATER TREATMENT
MANAGER WITH TOTAL
PETROCHEMICALS,
SHARES HIS VISION
OF THE MARKET.
Petrochemicals is one
of the most demanding
manufacturing activities
in terms of water - and
it is currently booming,
particularly in the Middle
East. As a rough guide,
a petrochemical complex
comprising a steam cracker
and several polymerisation
units intended for the
manufacture of “plastics”
consumes more than five
million cubic metres
of water per year.
“And the related bill is
substantial”, confirms
Jean-Luc Ohanessian, Water
Treatment Manager with
Total Petrochemicals.
“For it does not just include
the cost of the raw water,
but also the cost of
conditioning products
for the cooling water.
On top of that, you have
to consider the variable
costs like manpower
or resins and regenerating
reagents required for the
demineralisation chains,
“
Rising to the
challenge:
achieve an
acceptable
overall water
state by 2015.
”
without forgetting the costs
to treat discharges in the
wastewater.”
Total Petrochemicals
created a specialist unit the Process Technology
Group - in 2002 to manage
water treatment in the best
possible way. Its mission
is to control expertise
internally and improve
the reliability of industrial
facilities. “My role is,
therefore, to make sure
that Total Petrochemicals
uses the best technologies
available to be able to rise
to the three challenges
facing it as a worldwide
industrial player:
the increasing scarcity
of water resources,
controlling the quality
of process water,
and compliance with
regulations governing
discharges." To achieve
these goals, Total is already
committed to initiatives to
optimise and reduce water
consumption on its
industrial sites. In 2007,
the petrochemical branch,
therefore, decided to
reduce its consumption by
10%.
INTENSIFICATION
OF ENVIRONMENTAL
LEGISLATION
“In addition, in order to
comply with the new
environmental standards
imposed by the Water
Framework Directive, Total
is already using pilot sites
to assess the effects of its
entry coming into force
on our activity”, states
Jean-Luc Ohanessian.
The Directive stipulates
the non-degradation in
water quality to achieve
a good overall state of
groundwaters and surface
waters - including coastal
- by 2015. Intensification
of environmental
legislation which no doubt
has some bearing
on the boom in water
and effluent treatment
equipment forecast
for the years to come. ■
390
MILLION EUROS
This is the annual
value of the
equipment market
for water and
effluent treatment
in 2004 in Europe
and the Middle
East. It could rise
to 534 million euros
in 2011.
Over
50%
OF THE
TURNOVER FOR
THIS MARKET is
achieved in Europe.
Source: Frost & Sullivan
Survey 2005.
REGULATIONS
CLOSE-UP
ON THE
IPPC
DIRECTIVE
The so-called
IPPC EUROPEAN
DIRECTIVE covers
the issuing of
permits to the most
polluting industrial
facilities, a total
of almost 55,000 in
the European Union.
It imposes a global
environmental
approach which
consists of
preventing emissions
into the air, water
and ground, as well
as of taking waste
management into
account. Waste must
be reduced as much
as possible to
ensure a high level
of environmental
protection. All
facilities involved
have been obliged
to comply with
the Directive since
30 October 2007.
3
4
INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS
DEVELOPED BY INFILCO (A SUBSIDIARY OF ONDEO IS) AND WINNER OF A SUEZ
INITIATIVES AND INNOVATIONS AWARD IN THE TECHNICAL CATEGORY, THE COMPACT
MEMBRANE UNIT (UCM®) COMBINES THE FUNCTIONS OF AN ULTRAFILTRATION UNIT
AND AN OSMOSIS UNIT ON A SINGLE CHASSIS.
ARCELOR PATURAL (FRANCE)
®
UCM , AN IN-DEPTH
SURFACE WATER
SOLUTION
How can you obtain a water
quality as good as that
from municipal water whilst
having only a limited space
available for treatment?
This was the problem faced
by Infilco on several of its
customer sites. The answer
then proposed by Infilco
was the development of a
new product: the Compact
Membrane Unit. Indeed, the
UCM® enables low cost use
of water with a high fouling
index which is generally
discarded as it is considered
too difficult to treat (surface
water from channel or river),
for use in cooling systems,
in steam production and for
integration in the industrial
process. “The UCM® allows
not only to use more cost
effective water resources,
but also to reduce waste and
water consumption through
intelligent re-use of osmosis
concentrate in ultrafiltration
backwashing”, explains
François Guérin, Business
Development Manager with
Infilco. And to add
“It allows to avoid
the production of chemical
effluents resulting from
regeneration products, to
limit the footprint as well as
the installation costs while
offering an easy to install
and use. Since its first
launch, the UCM® has
proven its efficiency as it
already equips about ten
industrial sites in France and
abroad (Mexico, Algeria).”
THE ADVANTAGE
OF COMPACTNESS
An example of a Compact
Membrane Unit is in
Moselle, where the Arcelor
blast furnaces in Florange
have recently decided to
sub-contract part of their
utilities. “The water for the
blast furnaces has come
from three sources until
now: the pit water
from nearby former mines,
municipal water, and
water from the Moselle”,
François Guérin,
Business Development
Manager with Infilco.
says Francis Fischer,
Ondeo IS Sales Engineer
for Lorraine. “However,
supplies of pit water have
dried up from January
2007. To diversify water
supply and ensure its
availability, Arcelor Patural
therefore decided to call
on Ondeo IS.”
“
The solution:
combine
pre-treatment
with a UCM®.
”
The solution: the
installation of a Compact
Membrane Unit using
water from the Moselle to
produce an hourly rate of
40 m3 demineralised water
and process water used
for cooling purposes.
The compactness of
the equipment was an
added bonus. And this
solution has whetted
the curiosity of other
manufacturing sites
in the region… ■
SOLUTION
The raw water is treated by ultrafiltration,
then by reverse osmosis. The concentrate
from the osmosis unit can be used as
backwashing to clean the clogged membranes
in the ultrafiltration unit.
Pascal Fouache,
Infilco Technical Director
“The UCM®, technology
patented by Infilco, produces
demineralised water directly
from surface water whilst
reducing discharges.”
The chassis of the Compact
Membrane Unit developed
by Infilco.
VILLERS-SAINT-PAUL CHEMICAL PLATFORM (FRANCE)
ECOFLOW®, COLLECTIVE
INDUSTRIAL PURIFICATION
LINKING UP AN INDUSTRIAL COMPANY THAT
OWNS A WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT WITH
OTHER INDUSTRIES HAVING EFFLUENT TO BE
TREATED. THAT IS THE CHALLENGE ONDEO IS
TEAMS ARE MEETING WITH ECOFLOW®.
industrial operations.”
Ondeo IS engineers carried
out a series of studies and
pilot tests demonstrating
that the addition of
external biodegradable
effluent would, as well
as the investments needed
for upgrading, improve the
plant's operation. Ondeo IS
saw Ecoflow® as the
unique long term solution
to the problem.
ACCOMMODATING
OTHER EFFLUENTS
It is a fact that every
industry generates effluent
that cannot be discharged
straight into the natural
environment and, therefore,
has to be treated. Part
of the call for tender
for outsourced water cycle
management on the
Villers-Saint-Paul chemical
platform related to effluent
treatment. Ondeo IS
proposed that its customer
set up a unique “Ecoflow®”
solution to improve its
plant operation.
IMPROVING PLANT
OPERATIONS
“The Villers-Saint-Paul plant
needed investment for
upgrading,” recalls Xavier
Lazennec, Ondeo IS NorthWest Regional Director.
“The plant was oversized
in relation to the amount
of effluent to be treated,
which led to
malfunctioning, and no
longer enabled the plant
to meet the environmental
standards fixed by the
Prefectoral order on
DIAGNOSIS
Everyone’s a winner
with Ecoflow® !
“Ecoflow® is a flexible solution for manufacturing
sites where building a specific water treatment
facility is inappropriate; they can treat their
effluents without tying up capital. The treatment
itself is optimised by the contribution of
carbonated and biodegradable effluents."
François Chaine,
Ecoflow® Development
Manager
The solution that Ondeo IS
recommended consisted
of bringing effluents from
other industrial facilities
into the plant, but not just
any effluents. To be
acceptable the effluents
have to comply with
a precise specification.
Xavier Lazennec: “In the
case of the Villers-SaintPaul chemical platform,
after a year of negotiation
with the authorities,
we opened the plant
up to third party effluents
generated by other
industrial sites. The
effluents entering the plant
come from industries
without their own
dedicated treatment plant,
with either a temporary
excess of effluent or who
need an emergency route
in crisis situations.”
Ecoflow® enables each
party involved to find
a long term solution to
its needs. And indeed
the concept has had great
appeal, since today there
are around one hundred
industrial customers
in Europe who benefit
from this solution
on ten or so platforms,
thanks to treatment
of their effluents that
is optimised in terms
of both performance
and cost. ■
TARRAGONA POWER (SPAIN)
FLEXIBILITY AND
INNOVATION
IMPECCABLE
DEMINERALISED WATER
QUALITY, UNFAILING
AVAILABILITY AND
EXEMPLARY
ADAPTABILITY. ONDEO IS
HAS TAKEN UP MANY
CHALLENGES.
A subsidiary of an energy
utility player in the port
of Tarragona in Spain,
Tarragona Power (TP)
called on Ondeo IS to
construct a demineralised
water production plant
with a capacity of
165 m3/h in 2005. It has
multiple uses: it is used
by the BASF chemical
company, a TP customer,
or in the form of steam as
a commodity. It can also
be used as a raw material
in electricity generation,
with the surplus being
reinserted into the Spanish
grid. “We had to comply
with two requirements”,
emphasises Philippe
Lambert, MD of Ondeo IS
Spain. “Firstly, extremely
low water conductivity
of less than 0.02
microsiemens*, when
we treat sea water.
And secondly, equipment
available 99.5% of
the time.”
PARTNER FIRST
AND FOREMOST
The key for Ondeo IS
were flexibility and
innovation to facing
these requirements.
“While we were carrying
out the work, the quality
of the sea water
deteriorated due to
increasing oil tanker traffic
in the port of Tarragona”,
recalls Philippe Lambert.
“We therefore adapted
our engineering to
the new constraints.
As for the actual design
of the plant, it is
particularly innovative
as it can treat either sea
water or fresh water
from the Ebro if the port
is polluted accidentally.
Thus, whether conditions
are good or bad,
we remain first and
foremost a partner
to our customer
by protecting his
production from
the constraints of the
outside environment.” ■
* The microsiemens is a unit
of measurement for electric
conductivity. Sea water salinity
increases this water conductivity
property substantially.
5
6
INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS
PHOTOVOLTECH (BELGIUM)
SPECIFIC
TREATMENT FOR
PHOTOVOLTAICS
THE EUROPEAN
MARKET FOR
PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR
ENERGY IS BOOMING.
AND WITH IT, THE
WATER TREATMENT
NEEDS OF PRODUCTION
PLANTS. CLOSE-UP ON
A TYPICAL EXAMPLE
WITH PHOTOVOLTECH.
Back in 2001. Electrabel,
Total and Imec joined
forces to found
Photovoltech, a company
specialising in the
production of photovoltaic
cells and modules.
For Electrabel and Total,
this project formed part
of their strategy to support
new technologies and their
wish to develop renewable
energy sources for
electricity generation.
As for Imec - the largest
independent research
centre in Europe for
microelectronics -, it
transferred its photovoltaic
cell manufacturing process
based on multicrystalline
silicon to Photovoltech.
Its characteristics?
The cells produced with
this technology have a very
high output and low cost
price. Built at Tienen in
Belgium, the Photovoltech
plant went into production
in November 2003. One
year later, to meet strong
growth in the European
“
Ensuring
optimum,
round-theclock
operations,
seven day
a week.
”
market, the Photovoltech
shareholders decided
to increase the annual
production capacity from
13 MWp* to nearly 80 MWp
in 2008.
ROBUST
INSTALLATIONS
“Photovoltech contacted
us in 2005”, recalls Wil
Steeghs, Ondeo IS Manager
in the Netherlands.
“We were asked to provide
a production system for
ultra-pure water required to
manufacture cells. We also
built a treatment facility for
fluorine-rich effluents and
a neutralisation system.”
During one stage in the cell
manufacturing process,
the silicon materials are
plunged into a solution
of hydrofluoric acid which
then has to be evacuated.
Photovoltech decided to
acquire its own treatment
system to optimise its
production costs. “We were
faced with a few technical
challenges. For example,
the water used to
produced the 10 m3
of ultra-pure water per
hour comes from three
different towns. The three
different waters sometimes
show a high silica content”,
adds Wil Steeghs.
“And the facilities have
to be especially robust to
cope with optimum, roundthe-clock operations seven
days a week." Challenges
overcome successfully
thanks to the expertise
of Ondeo IS, which today
manages this equipment
along with an ultra-pure
water facility. ■
*MWp: the megawattpeak
is the power unit for a photovoltaic sensor.
TEREOS (FRANCE)
EFFICIENT SPEED PLUS QUALITY
VERY SHORT
DEADLINES, COMPLEX
TREATMENT,
STRINGENT
REGULATIONS ON
EFFLUENTS: ONDEO IS
HAD TO MEET A
GOOD FEW
CHALLENGES WHEN
HELPING TO CREATE
THE LARGEST SUGAR
BEET DISTILLERY IN
THE WORLD.
France is pursuing an
ambitious goal to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
- more biofuels in petrol
and diesel by 2010.
The largest French sugar
group, Tereos, thus opened
a bioethanol production
unit at the end of 2006
based on sugar beet.
Located at Origny-SainteBenoîte (Aisne), this is
the largest sugar beet
distillery in the world with
an estimated production
of three million hectolitres
of alcohol and ethanol for
its first year in production.
was entirely redesigned
and now takes place in
three stages. Firstly, UASB*
methanation by an Ondeo IS
partner, which recovers
the biogas. Secondly,
an aerated treatment with
alternating anoxic/aerobic
conditions to deal with
the nitrogen
residual.
Lastly, a
third,
specific water settling
phase that treats
the phosphorous
and suspended matter. ■
*UASB: Upflow anaerobic sludge
blanket.
DIAGNOSIS
Priority to the environment
The Tereos site at Origny-Sainte-Benoîte in Aisne.
“This unit was built in just
ten months", recalls Pascal
Berardo, Ondeo IS
Development and
Innovation Director. “At the
same time we were tied to
very short deadlines to
upgrade the existing
treatment plant. And the
plant was only closed for
ten days."
A THREE-PHASE
TREATMENT
Upstream, Ondeo IS treats
the water from the Oise
required for process
purposes by combining
high-performing filtration
at 1,000 m3 per day and
resin-based carbonate
removal at 150 m3 per day.
The wastewater treatment
“Combining the three stages swung the
pendulum in favour of Ondeo IS. Today, this
facility discharges effluents with very little
environmental impact.” It is also worth noting
that the discharge site is sensitive because the Oise
at the start of its journey. The regulations to be complied
with are particularly stringent.
Pascal Berardo,
Ondeo IS Development
and Innovation Director
Benjamin Boulanger,
Health & Safety
Specialist with
Ondeo IS
CERTIFICATIONS
SAFETY: EMPLOYEE
INVOLVEMENT
OUTSOURCING WATER
TREATMENT ON ITS
INDUSTRIAL SITES
MEANS GREATER
CONVENIENCE AND
PEACE OF MIND. YES,
BUT ON ONE CONDITION:
THAT THE SERVICE
PROVIDER COMPLIES
SCRUPULOUSLY WITH
THE SAFETY RULES.
Safety certification is, of
course, nothing new at
Ondeo IS. 2007 marked
a true turning point for the
Ondeo IS group in France.
“We embarked on a MASE*
certification initiative in
2006, which we successfully
obtained in November 2007
for a three-year period”,
announces Céline Faure,
Health, Safety and
Environment Manager at
Ondeo IS. “Esso created
this reference framework in
1990 to improve preventive
measures for the safety of
sub-contractors working
on Seveso sites**. From
now on, service providers
working on these
petrochemical and
chemical sites must
be MASE-certified.
And this new certification
is a tremendous feather in
our cap. All our customers
will benefit from this. The
goal was to have our HSE
management system
certified MASE in France,
for all our business lines."
Actions have already
started in the field to get
all employees involved:
an internal monthly
newsletter to interpret
HSE, informal chats on the
topic and HSE links in each
“
Numerous
accidents
are due to
human error.
Employee
commitment
is essential.
”
region to monitor the
introduction of action
plans and send information
back to head office.
RAISING
KNOWLEDGE LEVELS
This investment by
employees is also the basis
for the HSE management
system in the United
Kingdom. For, as judiciously
pointed out by Chris
Freeman, HSE Manager
for Ondeo IS UK: “A major
number of accidents are
due to human error.
Employee commitment
to this initiative is therefore
essential.” Here, we have
opted for the OHSAS 18001
certification system; this is
similar to MASE in terms
of safety, but does not take
the environment into
account (Ondeo IS UK
is ISO 14001-certified for
that purpose). In practical
terms, employee
involvement is brought
about, for example,
by the launch of a training
programme to increase
each individual's level
of HSE knowledge. Another
initiative: the creation
of a safety committee
comprising representatives
from all areas in the
company. “We have also
developed a system
to control and analyse
all the information
we gather”, explains Chris
Freeman. “This highlights
trends and shows us
where to focus our efforts.
Our global objective is a
secure environment where
people can work with norisk behaviour.” ■
* MASE: Corporate Safety
Improvement Manual.
** The Seveso sites are those
with a high accident risk due to
the presence of large quantities
of hazardous substances.
QUALITY
2008, ISO 9001: 2000
certification for Ondeo IS
Spain and renewal for
Ondeo IS France.
“The Villers-Saint-Paul site is a Seveso-classified
chemical platform. Ondeo IS operates the entire
water cycle there and must comply with its
customer’s considerable requirements in terms
of HSE policy."
In 2006, the site served as the pilot for the MASE
certification project. The two main tools
introduced are informal chats, where staff can
be made aware of particular risks, and feedback
on incidents and near-accidents, which allows
us to react quickly before a more serious accident
occurs.
TARANTO (ITALY)
A RATHER
UNUSUAL
WATER STORY
NOT EASY TO
PRODUCE
DEMINERALISED
WATER FROM
INDUSTRIAL
WASTEWATER. AND
YET THIS IS PRECISELY
WHAT HAS BEEN
DONE FOR A REFINERY
AT TARANTO, IN ITALY.
hour. With the dual
advantage of reducing
costs and recovering
wastewater whilst
protecting the environment.”
The remaining concentrate
is filtered through active
carbon before being
discharged into the sea.
“What we have achieved
at Eni in Taranto is going
to become a genuine
technological benchmark”,
states Alessandro
Colombo, Sales Director
with Ondeo IS Italy. It all
happens at Taranto, a town
in south-eastern Italy on
the coast and home to
an iron and steel complex,
a thermal-electric plant
and an Eni group refinery.
“Before the project,
the refinery and thermalelectric plant which
supplied it with electricity
used demineralised water
purchased from the
nearby steelworks",
relates Alessandro
Colombo. “Thanks to
our recycling facility, the
hourly 550 m3 of effluents
from the refinery which
go through the existing
biological treatment are
treated by ultrafiltration.
Then, come two stages
of reverse osmosis,
to provide 300 m3 of
demineralised water
to the power plant per
COMPLEXITY AND
TEAM SPIRIT GO
HAND IN HAND
On average, only 30%
of the production, i.e.
about 100 m3 per hour,
is now sent back into the
natural environment. The
project started in 2004 and
the contract was signed in
July 2005 between Eni and
the joint venture formed
for the occasion by Ondeo
IS, Degrémont Italy and
Snamprogetti (the
engineering and building
company, a subsidiary
of Eni). In this context,
Ondeo IS is now in charge
of supervising the facility
processes.
“The complexity of the
project really boosted our
team and above all our
relations with Eni”, assures
Alessandro Colombo.
“It must be said that it is
not common to recycle
industrial wastewater
to produce demineralised
water. This performance
is definitely the future for
sites lacking water.” ■
7
8
SHARED PERSPECTIVE
THE FICKLE WEATHER IN JANUARY 2006 FORCED THE COMURHEX PLANT AT
MALVESI (AUDE) TO STOP OPERATING. HAVING FIRSTLY CALLED ON THE OMOBILE®
SERVICE, THE COMPANY THEN ELECTED TO INSTALL A FIXED EFFLUENT
TREATMENT PLANT. FEEDBACK THROUGH DIALOGUE.
A PARTNERSHIP
FOR CRISIS
MANAGEMENT
Crisis
EMMANUEL BERTRAN DE
BALANDA — Rainfall in
the region was exceptionally
heavy during Autumn and
Winter 2005-2006. And this
most unusual rainfall filled
the lagoon basins used
to store our effluents giving
rise to very high nitrate
concentrations. We were
forced to halt all activity on
the site on 30th January 2006.
SERGE PINA — When
Comurhex contacted us we
had to deal with a genuine
emergency. We, therefore,
brought back, in record
time, two OMobile® units
which were in Morocco.
These mobile units started
treating effluents as soon
as they reached the site,
an operation which lasted
until mid-May 2006.
natural environment,
with 10,000 m3 returning
to the lagoons.
operating contract,
renewable every four years.
Performance
Long term
Solution
E. B. B. — Of course,
rainfall like this only occurs
about once every ten years.
But to increase the safety
level of our site, we decided
to install a fixed effluent
treatment facility.
S. P. — The OMobile® units
were totally satisfactory
and Comurhex approached
us to build a fixed treatment
facility. Our plant went into
service on 15th December
2006. We signed a one-year
E. B. B. — Ondeo IS set up
the necessary resources
to meet our requirements.
And the project came into
being thanks to a few people
at Comurhex and Ondeo IS
who believed in it and
worked together as a true
partnership. Today, this facility
does not contribute to the
growth of our operations,
but it does limit our impact
on the environment as much
as possible, and for us
environmental protection
is a priority.
S. P. — Contractually,
we provided a facility capable
of treating 500 m3/day.
We tested it at our plant
and it can achieve 850 m3/day.
The nitrate concentration
of the effluents is still less
than 10 mg/l and is even
zero occasionally!!
>
Emmanuel Bertran
de Balanda
(centre), at the time Director
of the Comurhex plant at
Malvési, near Narbonne. An
Areva group subsidiary
specialising in uranium
conversion, the company
produces uranium
tetrafluoride
Production
E. B. B. — On-site
production only started
up again at the beginning
of April. Two months
shutdown is a long time
and this episode cut
our turnover by 20%.
ONDEO IS
<
Serge Pina
is the Ondeo IS
South-West Regional
Director. The sector
covers Aquitaine,
Midi-Pyrénées and
Languedoc-Roussillon.
S. P. — 30,000 m3 of
effluents were treated with
the OMobile® units. They
contained 10 to 30 g/l of
nitrates, the standard being
50 mg/l. Two thirds of this
wastewater, once treated,
was discharged into the
DIARY
Aquatech
in Amsterdam
> Aquatech Amsterdam is being held from 30th September
to 3rd October. This annual fair is solely for professionals in the field
of drinking water, treatment water and wastewater. At the same time,
the International Water Association (IWA) is offering a series of
conferences, including one specifically on treating industrial waters,
and seminars. A chance for Ondeo IS to showcase its innovative and
sustainable technologies suitable for industrial needs, in particular
OMobile®, a mobile solution for demineralised water requirements.
Find us at booth 7 – 103A.
Pollutec in Lyon
IFAT in Munich
> Ondeo IS will be exhibiting
at Pollutec, the international fair
for environmental equipment,
technologies and services, being
held in Lyon on 2nd-5th December.
Within SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT,
Ondeo IS is the market leader
in the industry.
> IFAT, the three-yearly
international water and
environmental trade fair, was
held on 5th-9th May in Munich
(Germany). Ondeo IS exhibited
its know-how and technologies on
the SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT stand.
There were 2,560 exhibitors from
44 countries and the 120,000
trade visitors from all over the
world were able to find out more
about the OMobile® service and
enter a competition.
Ondeo Industrial Solutions,
23, rue du Professeur Victor
Pauchet, 92420 Vaucresson
(France)
Tel.: + 33 1 47 95 88 00
Fax: + 33 1 47 95 89 99
www.ondeo-is.com
Publications Manager:
Charles Chaumin. Editorial
Manager: Élise Maury. Chief
Editor: Anne Couderc. Editorial
Board: Pascal Berardo, Marc
Beunen, Alessandro Colombo,
Sébastien Corbeil.
Photo/illustration credits: CorbisGeorge Hammerstein/Somus-deer,
Ondeo IS photo library, Tarragona
Power, Tereos, DR.
Editorial advice and editing,
design and production:
Spécifique, 9, passage SainteAvoye, 75003 Paris (France) –
www.specifique.fr
Assistant Editor-in-Chief:
Patrick Pires. Editorial
Secretariat: Sylvie Nouaille,
Vincent Pascal. Artistic Direction
and Layout: Yann Ménager.
Head of Production: Sylvie
Blanchette. Photoengraving:
Open Graphic média. Printing:
Darmon.
This paper is printed on PEFC
paper from sustainably-managed forests.