Developing technologies

Legislation for the handling and disposal of produced water continues to tighten. Shell is continuously investigating the market for new, online oil-in-water monitors and separation technologies in order to remain up to date.

Shell is working with TNO – The Dutch Institute of Applied Physics – to develop and design a submerged bioreactor for offshore applications. It is known that bioreactors can break down almost all oil components in produced water, making it clean enough for discharge to surface water.

Water Purification

A new water purification technology based on a membrane filter system has been developed by Shell Global Solutions International BV and Auxill Nederland BV. In contrast to conventional water filter systems, the new technology does not require large amounts of hazardous chemicals for cleaning, only salt. The unit offers communities and Shell sites the potential for safe, continuous and affordable drinking water.

A prototype unit was built with Shell funds and has been successfully started up in South Africa. Another unit is due to be set up by Shell Morocco. The prototype is powered from the grid, but future models can be equipped with diesel generators or more sustainable solar cells to extend its use in remote areas. It currently delivers around 1m3/hr of water, but future models will offer increased capacity, thereby reducing the cost of water per cubic metre.

Three Sisters Ultra City Retail Station - South Africa

An Ultra City is a very well equipped retail station with a Select Store shop and a Whistle Stop restaurant. Some of them also have a small hotel (Shell Travel Inn). The name Shell Ultra City is a brand name of Shell South Africa. The prototype unit is located at Three Sisters Ultra City retail station in South Africa (Great Karoo semi desert), in one of the driest areas of South Africa.

Water usually comes from a nearby borehole. However, in the Karoo, borehole water contains a very high concentration of calcium. This not only gives a bad taste to the water, but is also detrimental to the kitchen apparatus in the Whistle Stop Restaurant.

The first results from the prototype are excellent; the unit is running smoothly and removes about 40% of the calcium in the feedwater, producing 1 m3/hr of very pure, and soft tasting drinking water. Currently water is supplied to the kitchen of the restaurant, and to some of the people that work at the retail station and live nearby.  In this case there is no village nearby so there are no plans to extend access to the treated water. Monthly samples will be sent to the Shell Research and Technology Centre in Amsterdam for analysis to ensure water quality.

Water from the unit will prevent damage to kitchen apparatus at the retail site and is being used in many ways, including to prepare soft drinks at the Whistle Stop Restaurant, making it commercially viable. And, since no hazardous chemicals are required to operate the unit, the outcome of the project will result in technology that does not have a significant impact on the environment.

Country Care - Al Haouze Province, Morocco

The Country Care initiative helps set up small self-sufficient businesses based on technology that Shell has initiated. Such growth has value to both Shell and the local community. Shell du Maroc, aims to set up the water purification unit through the Country Care project.

Morocco is situated in one of the most water scarce regions of the world, and affordable access to drinking water has been identified as an urgent community need in rural areas. The unit is to be used to create a local business, producing and distributing drinking water from a local, natural source in a rural community in the province of Al Haouze.

This scheme is facilitated by investment from Shell du Maroc in partnership with an NGO, L'Heure Joyeuse, which will also aid in implementation. A high level of commitment has also been obtained from the Governor of the province and local authorities. The initial investor, Shell du Maroc, will receive partial repayment from community partners once the business is established, since the aim is to create self-sustaining business, this will allow Shell du Maroc to stretch their social investment budget.

The water purification unit offers great potential since its size and portability is appropriate to the remote and small sized communities often left out of large-scale water projects, and its 1m3/hr capacity can meet the demand of a village of 800 - 1000 people. The confidence also exists, that this technology can be commercialised in Morocco allowing the local economy to grow, and create a more stable environment for Shell. These factors and the reduced environmental impact of this new technology uphold the sustainable nature of this project.

Related links

Shell Global Solutions - Water and waste treatment