Water

Water is a unique resource and its management raises issues on an international level across many areas of society. Water is integral to the operations of the downstream oil industry (the industry handles water in similar volumes to hydrocarbons) and effective management of water is essential. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to water, hence legislative developments require attention at all levels.

Great strides have been made towards improving water quality in Europe. Refineries have played their part in this progress with substantial reductions in the quantities of pollutants discharged to surface waters. Attention has also been paid to water resource management with an increase in the recycling of water within refineries in areas where water is scarce.

Water quality has historically been assessed using chemical parameters. The focus is now changing to a more 'biological' assessment of quality, which could have far-reaching consequences for the quality of the water body receiving the discharge and for the discharge itself.

Areas of focus for CONCAWE at present include: the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD); the development of the related Directive on Groundwater; the concepts of Whole Effluent Assessment being developed by OSPAR (Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the north-east Atlantic); and the impacts of chemical policies upon water quality. Input is also provided to the BREF (Best Available Technique REFerence document) writing process under the IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) Directive. Revisions to the European Drinking Water Directive and proposals for environmental quality standards for European waters are forthcoming.

CONCAWE also maintains a watching brief on the issue of water supply and availability, which is addressed in both the WFD and the IPPC Directive.

Soil and groundwater contamination issues can be interlinked, so CONCAWE also follows developments in contaminated land legislation.

Waste

Waste generated by refineries generally falls into two areas – oily waste and sludges from water clean-up operations, and waste biomass from effluent treatment plants. Both are consequences of the need to clean up used water before recycling or disposal. Management of these materials requires careful attention to avoid environmental impact. CONCAWE has carried out two surveys on refinery waste and has produced a field guide to refinery waste management.

European waste legislation is currently being revised, which could impact upon downstream petroleum operations. The legislation includes a new Waste Framework Directive, Waste incineration rules (under IPPC) and a new Waste Shipment Regulation. Current areas of activity include input to the BREF process, with documents on waste incineration and waste treatment, and CONCAWE has also published a guide on waste management processes.

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