Safeguarding the environment is key to long-term sustainable petrochemical development in dry southern provinces.
Farhad Qolinejad, the head of the Department of Environment in Bushehr Province, made the statement while giving Iran’s green industry award to Nouri Petrochemical Company in Asalouyeh in the 23rd National Conference on Green Industries, Mines and Service Units held in Tehran on Sunday.
“As long as petrochemical plans are implemented without prioritizing the protection and conservation of environment, future generations will be deprived of the potential benefits of the money-making sector,” Bushehr DOE’s chief said.
The emphasis on the needs of both present and future generations with regard to environmental protection, economic development and social development is crucial. The achievement of sustainable development requires a balanced integration of environmental, economic and social objectives, taking into account the needs and concerns of not only present but also future generations.
Qolinejad noted that expanding petrochemical infrastructures to facilitate socioeconomic development is necessary, but damaging the ecosystem is a recipe for disaster as its consequences are irreversible.
Iran’s green industry award, given annually by DOE, is presented to industries that did not contribute to air pollution in the past year and that have taken major steps in various environmental fields.
In doing its fair share to help preserve the environment, Nouri Petrochemical Company in Bushehr Province signed a contract with the engineering company Namvaran to recover flare gas.
“The flare gas recovery project will be completed in a little over two years,” he said.
Gas flaring refers to the combustion of associated petroleum gas generated during various processes in oil and gas refineries, and petrochemical plants.
Flare gas recovery is the process of recovering waste gases that would normally be flared, so they can be used as fuel. Among other things, it results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Flare gas recovery systems are specialized compression packages, which recover and repurpose gases and emissions, such as methane/LPGs and sulfur dioxide, which would normally be burned during flaring.
Recycling Compounds
Nouri company’s project will recycle heavy compounds from sour gas primarily to reduce environmental pollution by removing toxic sulfur compounds in gases produced in different units of the plant.
It will contribute to productivity and profitability by extracting heavy hydrocarbons in the gas, including liquefied petroleum gas.
In the process, sulfur compounds separated from gas will be converted into ammonium sulfate, which is a chemical fertilizer used in the agro sector, in a separate unit.
Nouri company is one of the largest aromatics manufacturers in the world with an annual capacity of 4.5 million tons.
Established in 2007, it is a subsidiary of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, the biggest consortium of Iranian petrochemical producers.
The plant's output, which includes paraxylene, orthoxylene and raffinate, is exported to the Persian Gulf Arab states, India, China and South Korea.
According to Taqi Sanei, the head of the Bushehr-based company, Nouri company has started producing low-sulfur fuel to conform with the International Maritime Organization’s new regulations for a 0.5% global sulfur cap for marine fuels.
"Machinery and equipment in the plant have been upgraded to reduce the current sulfur level in mazut and diesel from 3.5% to 0.5%,” he said.
The company has invested $120 million to build a (heavy end) refining facility in which sulfur content in mazut and diesel will be reduced to less than 0.5%.
Under the new global cap, as of January 2020, ships had to use marine fuels with a sulfur content of not more than 0.5% against the current limit of 3.5% in an effort to reduce the amount of sulfur oxide, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts.
The National Petrochemical Company, along with other companies active in the petrochemical industry, has giving priority to the protection and conservation of the environment.
Iran’s petrochemical companies have been ordered to uphold stringent environment protection measures or face consequences.
Online Systems
As part of a drive to help protect the environment and curb air pollution, petrochemical complexes and refining industries are gradually being equipped with modern online pollution control systems.
Unlike traditional lab systems that force technicians to be physically present in the factory, online data processing systems enable relevant monitoring bodies to measure and analyze the level of noxious waste, such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur at any moment and from long distances.
The government is considering new incentives to encourage petrochemical companies to function in a manner that can be dubbed as environmentally friendly – a long shot but worth trying.
One incentive is that companies that reduce their carbon footprint would be exempted from pollution tax levied by the Department of Environment.
According to an amendment to the Tax Law of fiscal 2008-09, all petrochemical and refining units deemed carbon emitters must pay 1% tax on sales.
The primary objective of imposing a carbon tax is to reduce the harmful CO2 levels, thereby curbing climate change and its dangerous impact on human health and the environment.
