A Portuguese refinery has claimed a world first by producing bunker fuels from ship slops.
Ecoslops, working at Sines, has delivered its first batch of oil after recycling marine oil residues, it said.
It imported 3,200 tonnes of slops from northern Europe in the third quarter, and added other waste collected at the port, mainly at the oil terminal and from container line MSC.
This has been turned into 1,400 tonnes of fuel products comprising distillates (MDO) and heavy fuel oil (IFO) for ships, plus light bitumen for the roofing and isolation markets.
“This development validates the company’s value proposition, with 98% of slops being recycled for commercial use,” it said.
CEO Vincent Favier added: “This is a landmark moment for Ecoslops, as we prove the commercial and sustainable viability of creating marine fuel products from slops.
“In the current climate, waste collectors are finding it increasingly difficult to sell unprocessed slops and many ports do not have sufficient collection or storage infrastructure."
He said the product is cost-effective for shipowners and the company wants to increase volumes from Sines, which can produce 30,000 tonnes of recycled fuel every year.
Ecoslops is also developing facilities in the Ivory Coast, as well as looking at other opportunities in the Mediterranean and the north of Europe.
It wants to bring three more refineries on line by 2017.
Waste hydrocarbons are pre-treated by decantation and centrifugation before being processed into a vacuum distillation column and recycled into marine fuels and light bitumen.
The water produced is decontaminated in a treatment plant before being returned to the natural environment.
