Waste Management

Our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment also applies to waste generation. Although the reduction of hazardous waste generation is a priority, we must still pay close attention to waste resulting from maintenance, construction activities or unexpected events.

MOL Group’s waste management strategy is based on the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Responsible Disposal (so-called “4R”) principle, which represents the cornerstone of sustainability. This waste management hierarchy means that the first priority is to prevent the generation of waste and reduce its amount as far as possible. Since there are technologies and processes whereby waste generation cannot be avoided, we make constant efforts to reuse or recycle/recovery these kinds of waste. If disposal is the only solution, it is managed responsibly, respecting all relevant legal requirements. Our Group and company level annual waste management action plans are also built upon the 4R principle and are intended to ensure that constant improvement in waste management practices is met.

We maintain a Total Waste Management system, regulating all waste related processes. It focuses on efficiency-improvement, reduction of the volume of disposed waste and the increase of valued, reused, recycled or recovered waste. The operation of system is up to the well-known PCDA principle which includes the possibility of the regular system's continuous improvement. The basic pillars of system are legal compliance the follow up / documented processes. To supply our requirements we terminate long-term waste management contracts. We do introduce the system in MOL Nyrt. and its significant Hungarian subsidiaries In 2009 was a result of this that the cost of waste material treatment reduced more that 20%.

Operations are based on the well-known PDCA principle of the system that includes the possibility for permanent developments in the system. The basic pillars of the system are ensuring legal compliance and traceable / documented processes. We have concluded long term waste management contracts for securing our expectations. We have introduced this system at present at MOL Plc. and the key subsidiaries in Hungary. One of the results in 2009 was that waste management costs reduced by more than 20%.

Exploration-production

Most of the wastes produced by the operations of the Exploration-Production Division (50-55%) are drilling mud. As a result of the presently applied best available technology (BAT), none of the materials used fro drilling mud belongs to the category of dangerous materials, thus during our operations we do not produce any dangerous waste under ordinary circumstances. These wastes are dominantly utilised.

The other main group of waste contains oily mud waste from tank cleaning operations, and these are qualified as dangerous materials. The mud produced during large tank cleaning operations is first centrifuged in order to reduce the volume, then the separated liquid is reinjected into deep underground reservoirs in accordance with the relevant permits, thus the volume of materials to be decontaminated is significantly lower.

Our future target is to further reduce the quantity of waste by applying „waste-poor” technologies and enhanced de-hydration of tank mud.

Logistics

RMD Logistic depots are primarily engaged in storing and distributing various oil and LPG products. The main waste flows of Logistics include materials from tank cleaning operations, oily mud produced during waste water treatment plants, construction and demolition debris during projects, as well as dangerous materials produced during remediation of pollutions from past operations. Our goals include deeper involvement of the waste management hierarchy into the operative processes, and further increasing the ratio of waste utilisation.

Refining

Sites of RMD Refining Division produce various fractions from crude oil, as the basic feedstock for a number of end-products or other technologies. We can define different categories for the main waste flows, like wastes form production processes, including pipe-end technologies, e.g. waste from industrial wastewater treatment equipments, construction and demolition debris during projects, dangerous muds from tank farm cleaning/maintenance as well as wastes from maintenance processes. Our goals include further increasing the ratio of waste utilisation, reducing the quantity of waste and optimising the waste incineration plants.

Petrochemistry

The main waste flows can be categorised into two major groups. The first contains waste produced from olefin and polymer production, including also wastes generated from treatment of waste water produced during the said processes. The other group includes construction and demolition debris during projects.

Reduction of quantity of wastes can offer only minor opportunities as production processes have already been optimised, thus our goal is to improve the ratio of waste utilisation along cost efficiency.

For more information about our SD performance in 2009 please visit the SD section of the MOL Group Annual Report, 2009, or click here.